


Forgotten Arcana

by nickdaman6



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Metaverse (Persona 5), Mystery, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, Post-Canon, Post-Persona 4: Golden, Post-Persona 5, Rare Pairings, TV World (Persona 4), finding happiness, learning to live
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26588467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickdaman6/pseuds/nickdaman6
Summary: Amamiya Ren has returned to his home in Inaba to a sister, his cousin and his friends, and a familiar face that he didn't have the chance to get to know at Shujin. Yet this meeting sets off a chain of events that set out to fix a story that had prematurely ended nearly a decade before Ren awoke to Arsène and brought together the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. The world may not change, but the heart of a man who once loved a goddess may. The only question is if he can reach her. Perhaps, with Ren's help and that of the Seekers of Truth, Narukami Yu can find his way once more.After all, it is well-known by a particular long-nosed man that the Aeon's and the Fool's destinies are intimately intertwined with each other.Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, has a sister, his cousin's Kanji, knows the Investigation Team/Seekers of Truth (but doesn't know they're Persona users), and reunites with Shiho at Yasogami.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Suzui Shiho, Hanamura Yosuke/Kujikawa Rise, Ichijo Kou/Satonaka Chie, Investigation Team & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Kurusu Akira/Suzui Shiho, Marie/Narukami Yu, Marie/Seta Souji, Persona 4 Protagonist/Marie, Persona 5 Protagonist/Suzui Shiho, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 106
Kudos: 191





	1. ???, Rank 0

**Author's Note:**

> So I just finished Persona 4 Golden (and my grad degree a few months earlier, woot woot!), and I figured I'd get back into writing when I have some free time. What better way to do that than fanfiction? This is something I came up with about a year ago after seeing a comic of the Persona 5 protagonist with Shiho in Inaba at Yasogami, but only now putting on Ao3. Thought it'd be a cool little distraction to get through that HEARTBREAKING end scene in P4G... as a side note, slight AU here and going off Persona 5, not Persona 5 Royal (because I came up with this before P5R came out and I'm too lazy to go back and sneak in Akechi or Kasumi/Sumire!).
> 
> I'll admit, this is also a self-indulgent fic for some rare shippings that hardly get any love (though in Shiho's case, makes sense, considering Ann, but I just want to explore what a social link would look like between the P5 protagonist and Shiho - we're all a little curious about it!)!
> 
> Anyway, nice to be back in the swing of things, and hope you enjoy!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6
> 
> *Warning: this chapter contains a brief mention of past trauma, abuse, and suicide.*

_My, my, Trickster. You have returned._

_Welcome to the Velvet Room._

_Why, I wonder, has your presence once again graced our humble domain? You have, after all, completed our contract to the fullest extent, exceeding all expectations. Mine included._

_Is it, perhaps, that something went unfulfilled in your time with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?_

_Perhaps you have some unfinished business, a… portion of the contract left to complete. A pact; some fine print in the writing, it would seem._

_A bond._

_One remains, due to having departed at an inopportune moment. One which requires your presence to mend. One which would have gone unheeded had you not returned. A fate that has become intertwined with yours once more._

_Yet your return has set more than one event in motion. You will see in due time what I mean._

_Where you are heading, I sense a presence I have not felt in quite some time; a presence that I believed had forsaken all he had fought for in hopes of finding that which he had lost._

_Be prepared, Trickster, for you will not have most of the power of the Fool, nor the ability to enter the greater expanse of the Metaverse. This journey will require very little of your power._

_You must rely on Ars_ _è_ _ne, your unforged bond, a mysterious presence, and those around you in Inaba._

_So, would you fulfill this lingering pact in the contract?_

_…_

_I expected nothing less._

_Go then, Trickster, and complete the last, remaining clause in your contract._

_We three eagerly wish to see how you will proceed._

* * *

Ren awoke with a jolt, the supposed dream breaking him from his restful sleep. It was a vision of an unfamiliar Velvet Room, and the unmistakable cackle of the room’s proprietor, Igor. Even as he reoriented himself in the real world, the vision disappeared into his subconscious, leaving Ren with just as many questions as he had when he first awoke in the Velvet Room just over one year ago.

Trying to bring the vision to the forefront of his mind caused Ren to lose it quicker. Bringing his hand to his head to wipe away the sweat and black hair that clung to his forehead, he searched his heart for Arsène to help answer his questions.

Yet, as before, he didn’t answer, leaving the former leader of the Phantom Thieves stumped.

With a sigh, he stretched his body, sniffing the air and half-expecting the smell of coffee mixed with curry to fully rouse him. But the air was void of the comforting scent. In his grogginess, it seemed Ren had forgotten one, important fact:

He wasn’t in his room above Leblanc, not anymore; he was in his old room, in his old house, in his old town. Back in Inaba.

A hollowness flowed through Ren before he chuckled.

Moving softly so he didn’t disturb Morgana, who slept by his legs, he reached for his phone. He brought up the numerous messages he had received after the rest of the Phantom Thieves dropped him off in Inaba.

 _Hey man! Next time we need to actually see Inaba_ , Ryuji’s message read, prompting a chuckle from the dark-haired teen.

_We’ll miss you! I’ll let Shiho know you’re in town, you have her number, right?_

Black eyes stared blankly at the message for a few seconds before Ren’s brain caught up with him. _Ann did mention that Suzui lived here now. Wonder if she goes to Yasogami… and of course, I don’t have her number._

Ren sighed, blowing some of his frizzy black hair out of his face. They must have forgotten to exchange information the day before after the rest of the Phantom Thieves had hopped in the van back to Tokyo. Shrugging the matter off, he figured he could always just ask Ann for Suzui’s number.

But that would be for later. Right now, Ren was in a reminiscing mood.

Continuing down his list of people he saw Yusuke’s message, written as precisely as ever.

_If ever I find myself in Inaba chasing inspiration, you will be the first I call. You will have a futon for me, yes?_

Chuckling, Ren continued to Makoto’s farewell, a faint fondness entering his heart. It was a crush he had developed on the team-proclaimed “Queen” of the Phantom Thieves. Or that was what he had told himself, realizing more and more each day that maybe, just maybe, he should’ve proclaimed his feelings for her at Lala-chan’s bar.

_It won’t be the same without you. I’ll make sure to keep in contact and tell you how university is, maybe give you some pointers… But seriously, take care of yourself. I’ll miss you._

Those last words tugged at Ren’s heartstrings. His thumb moved of its own accord, quickly exiting out of the text and leaving it on read. For now, he needed to forget about it, move on, restart his life back in Inaba. Then, if he went to a university in or near Tokyo, he could finally tell Makoto all that he had held back that one, rainy night in Shinjuku.

Desperately willing his mind to let the matter rest, for now, he scrolled to Futaba.

_Dont get laz on ur gamin skillz! Well hav a rematch when u visit >:D_

Bringing him out of his self-deprecation, Ren laughed at his adopted sister’s grammar, covering his mouth. Taking a peek at Morgana, the teenaged boy was relieved to see he was still sleeping. Judging by the way his glove-like white feet were moving, it seemed he was having a dream as well.

Moving on, Ren came to Haru.

_It was a pleasure to see you off! I hope we get to fully see Inaba next time we visit. Remember to keep making coffee, we’ll have a tasting next time!_

Ah, how could Ren forget about that challenge? He would have to find a job as a barista to make sure his skills were kept up to snuff. Briefly thinking about it, maybe he could make some for _her_. Shaking his head, the idea sent shivers down his spine.

“Maybe not,” he mumbled to himself.

Subconsciously, his thumb continued scrolling through the messages on his screen, coming to Akechi.

Akechi Goro.

Ren winced at the name but saw an unopened message that he must have missed. It was dated around the time the Phantom Thieves stole Shido’s heart.

Ren’s thumb hovered over the message icon for a moment, trembling as he internally battled with the desire to read it or to just throw it away. A few, tense moments passed in silence – contrary to the Trickster’s screaming mind – before he took a deep breath. Deciding it would be best to wait until later, he forwent opening the message, turning off his phone in the process, and throwing it on the bed.

“ _Mrrrroooowww_ ,” came the familiar feline voice of Morgana yelping in pain. “What was that for, huh!? Knocking me out of my catnap like that.”

Ren chuckled. “With how loudly you snore, I don’t think that can be called a nap.”

“Hmph, yeah, yeah, and it was such a nice dream, too…” the cat mourned as Ren sat up from his lying position on his bed.

“Was there sushi?”

“Yeah,” Morgana replied dreamily.

“Some milk?”

Stars filled his eyes, “Uh-huh!”

“And Ann wearing a cat ear headband?”

“Of course… wait, hey! Lady Ann wasn’t there, I mean, she wasn’t in the cat ears!”

Laughing at his friend’s attempt to recover, Ren jabbed, “So, she wasn’t wearing anything?”

“Exactly… no, wait! Don’t tell her I said that! It was just sushi and milk! Sushi and milk!” Morgana again tried to defend himself, now more awake than he was seconds ago.

Standing from his bed, Ren stretched his arms, trying to calm down his laughter for Morgana’s sake.

“Whatever you say, Mona. Lips are sealed.” Facing the cat, the Trickster mimed locking his closed mouth with a key to punctuate his promise.

“You better,” Morgana mumbled, stretching himself. Changing the topic, he asked, “It’s your first day of school, right? Is that why you’re up so early?”

“Yes and no,” Ren grunted, standing up straight after touching his toes, turning serious. “I had a dream about the Velvet Room.”

The admission took Morgana by surprise, but only brought a soft reply from him.

“Oh. Was Master there?”

“He was, and two others. One of them was Lavenza, but the other was taller and I couldn’t recognize them in the fog.”

“There was fog there, too? What do you think it could mean?”

Pausing, Ren could only say, “I’m not sure. There was more to it, but I’ll tell you on the way to school. For now, we should probably get breakfast started before…”

A loud pounding on the door interrupted the teen before he could finish his statement, indicating how late it already was.

“Hey, Ren-Ren! We gotta get ready for school! Morgana, you’re coming too, I wanna see your cute, little face! Hurry up, or we’re gonna be late!”

The singsong voice finished speaking, sounding like a higher-pitched, feminine version of Ren’s, one he was all too familiar with. Though as obnoxious as always, the former-Phantom Thief couldn’t help but smile.

“Looks like my sister’s up,” Ren surmised before nodding his head towards the door to his room. “Come on, let’s go Morgana.”

“Aye, aye, Leader!” he replied excitedly, bounding after the frizzy-haired teen as he left his room.

* * *

Shiho awoke with a start, instantly shooting out of her bed.

The malicious eyes. The perverted grin. His cold, punishing hands.

It was all there again, and still too real.

Cold sweat dripped down the teenaged girl’s face as she desperately willed her mind to tell her that it was just a dream. A nightmare, nothing more. Once her command was heeded, her breathing began to slow down, reattuning itself to her slowly calming heart. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, showing the lingering effects that remained from Kamoshida’s once-tight reign of her life.

Even after a year of therapy – both physical and mental – he was still there.

 _He’ll probably always be there_ , Shiho thought dully, bringing her knees to her chest and wiping her black hair from her forehead, hazel eyes dimmed. _But I… I told Ann I would be able to move forward. I told her I would be strong._

Thinking on one of her only true friends from Shujin Academy, a smile graced the troubled girl’s lips. Light returned to her eyes, seemingly brightening her dark room as well. Waking up slowly, the sweat on her skin also faded, her nightmare returning to the recesses of her mind.

She glanced around her room, only having moved to Inaba a few months ago. It was bigger than the room she had at her family’s apartment in Tokyo. But moving into a house would make anything seem bigger, especially in a country town. She laid back down on her full bed, and just watched as the morning sun’s light touched the wooden flooring and white walls that encompassed her own personal space. Besides reading a book at twilight, this was one of her favorite daily rituals, savoring every precious second.

Because the next day was never guaranteed. Shiho knew that all too well.

Before her spiraling thoughts returned her to the nightmare she had just escaped from, the dark-haired girl jumped out of bed, letting her toes gingerly touch the cold floor. A giggle permeated her lips as the chill crept up her legs. Like testing the temperature of the water, Shiho slowly let the soles of her feet touch the wooden floor.

A satisfied sigh was accompanied by a soft smile. Standing from her bed, Shiho checked her phone, seeing if she had received any messages overnight. One was from Ann, who had made a quick visit to Inaba yesterday on short notice.

_Shiho! It was so good seeing you and I already miss you more than I can bear!_

The words made the teenage girl’s heart melt a little and her smile widen ever so slightly.

_Next time we’ll stay there longer, maybe go to those springs you talked about? What were they called again…?_

Shiho could picture Ann trying to come up with the name, finger tapping at her chin and teeth biting the inside of her cheeks. It elicited a silent chuckle from the former volleyball player.

“The Amagi Inn, Ann,” she answered mirthfully, knowing that her friend couldn’t hear her, but pretending she had.

_Well, whatever it’s called, we need to go visit it. We can go with Ren since he’s in Inaba now, too! And don’t worry about him being alone, he’ll have Morgana, maybe Ryuji, haha!_

Mentioning the frizzy-haired boy Ann had come to know so well over the course of the last year reminded Shiho that she had told her that he had moved back to Inaba after his probation. He’d likely be attending Yasogami High School, too.

_Tell him I say hi if you see him! I think that’s it? Anyway, we’ll talk later! Have a great first day of school, Shiho!_

Her smile never leaving her lips, the teenage girl typed out a response to her friend’s text message. Even if she didn’t see Ren in her class, she figured she would reach out to him at some point. So, along with the usual reply to one of Ann’s messages, Shiho also asked for the mysterious boy’s number, knowing the teasing she would get from her friend.

But it would be nice to see a somewhat familiar face, she concluded. Perhaps that was worth the teasing.

For now, she needed to prepare for the day ahead. Braving the chilled wooden floors, she made her way to her bathroom, turning on a shower and basking in the warmth as her thoughts drifted towards her first day at Yasogami. She realized, much like Ren likely had a year ago, that starting a new year at a new school was as exciting as it was daunting.


	2. ???, Rank 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"There is nothing permanent except change."_
> 
> _~ Heraclitus_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh, with just one chapter this actually got a pretty solid response... well, then on with the show! Forgot how it feels to write something people wanna actually read! Glad to see it! Anyway, gonna be trying to keep to a schedule of Monday for the time being, since I have a lot of stuff pre-written, and go from there! Short message... enjoy!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

“Oh, you are just too _cute_ , Morgana! So, did you always bring him to school with you back in Tokyo?”

The question was innocent enough but hidden beneath it was a curiosity that indicated the information would be used for other purposes if an opportunity presented itself. All Ren had to do was turn to his sister to see the sly smirk accompanying her words. Much like her older brother, Amamiya Akari was as crafty as she was mischievous.

Similarities didn’t end there, with her hair as black and curly as her brother’s but coming down to her shoulders. A thin face and analytical eyes hiding behind glasses completed her doppelganger-like appearance. When people had met them together, they’d instantly see the resemblance and say they were twins. Alas, they were only brother and sister, separated by two years of age.

Ren chuckled, deciding to give a vague enough answer to satisfy her. “Yes, he’d hide in my bag and we’d walk to school together. But then I’d let him loose at Shujin’s gate since pets aren’t allowed in class.”

They watched as the feline in question strolled in between them, seemingly unaware of the conversation they were having, but keeping his ears directed at them. Every now and then he was picked up by Akari, earning a few happy scratches on his head.

“Sometimes he’d bring me a mouse,” Ren joked, checking to see if Morgana was actually paying attention.

“Hey, don’t make me out to be some kind of alley cat!” the feline retorted. Ren heard him talk, but Akari only heard a respondent mewing.

Chuckling, she was still able to understand Morgana’s displeasure with Ren’s statement. Putting her arms behind her back, she continued strolling, saying in her singsong voice, “Morgana didn’t like that.”

Turning around to walk backward and address her brother, she asked, “Got any pointers for a first time high-schooler?”

Continuing down the Samegawa Riverbank, Ren brought his finger to his chin, thinking of advice he’d have liked to hear when he entered Yasogami for the first time.

Shrugging, he simply advised, “Be yourself.”

Visibly disappointed, his sister pouted. “That’s such cliché advice. Sounds like something a parent would tell their kid.”

Chuckling, the brother replied, “Well, with mom and dad gone on business for a while, I figure you could use a parental figure.”

Adjusting his glasses, and using his most dad-like voice, Ren lectured, “Do what is best for you and consider the family. Never disrespect your betters. Never lie to others. And above all, _never_ have any sort of fun!”

Bursting out laughing, Akari nearly fell over on her heels, prompting her to turn around and stop walking so she could finish her fit. A few moments of shared amusement passed, earning a small smile from Ren and confused glances from passing-by students, watching the siblings with concerned eyes before returning to their own conversations. Ignoring the curious stares, Akari and Ren let their laughter end naturally, coasting back into their conversation as they continued walking towards Yasogami.

“T-that was so on-point, Ren-Ren,” Akari applauded, wiping a tear from her eye. “Okay, fine, you can be the parental figure of the house.”

Bowing shortly in jest, Ren thanked his sister. “Glad you think so. After all, we don’t want the house to burn down while mom and dad are gone, right?”

As the pair approached Yasogami's gates, Akari defended herself, halting the siblings in the courtyard. Pointing her finger accusingly at her brother, she hurriedly explained, “Hey! It was one time and it was a small kitchen fire, not even a grease fire. The house wasn’t that close to burning down.”

“Yes, but we did have to get a new stove, remember that?”

Starting to turn towards the school, Akari made a swift departure from her brother, hoping to avoid talking about the flame-engulfed stove. “Don’t know what you’re talking about! Gonna be late to class, gotta get going, bye!”

Waving briefly, Akari disappeared into the streaming throngs of students entering Yasogami. Chuckling to himself, Ren shook his head, muttering under his breath, “It’s going to be a long year.”

“To be fair, she’s just as bad as you,” Morgana chimed in, sitting down by the teenage boy’s feet expectantly.

“Had to get it from somewhere, right?”

Shaking his head, the cat mewed, “You’re such a bad influence. Gonna let me get into the bag?”

“Yeah, here you go. Hopefully, my Shujin bag didn’t spoil you,” Ren jested as he dropped the bag by Morgana.

Jumping in, the cat complained, “It’s so cramped!”

Zipping the bag up, Ren assured, “You’ll be in your new desk in no time.”

“Don’t zip it!” Morgana yelled, muffled by the bag being fully closed.

Hoisting his bag over his shoulder, Ren joined in with the rest of the students who were trudging towards the school. While many were hoping for a swift end to the first day of the new year, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves was wishing for something different. Eyes scanning the crowds around him, he hoped upon hope that he didn’t see anyone he recognized. Thankfully, he was ignored and everyone appeared as a stranger. Sighing gratefully, Ren prayed that, perhaps, people had forgotten about him.

Unbuttoning his jacket to reveal his undershirt, the frizzy-haired boy let himself relax slightly.

_Maybe everyone's forgotten about me…_

* * *

Shiho sat in her assigned seat, eyes scanning the mountains outside of the window next to her. They rose through the morning fog lazily, covered in the forests that surrounded Inaba. A small smile graced her lips. She would have to visit that forest sometime. Though, from what she heard from her classmates gossiping, Yasogami High School would have a camping trip there soon. The thought of it excited her, yet her fellow students seemed to think otherwise.

“Ugh… it’s a way's off, we don’t need to talk about it now…”

“Fine, fine. Did you hear, though? _He’s_ coming back, and he’s in _our_ class.”

“He? Wait, you don’t mean…?”

“Yup. Slithering back like the snake he is. Told you he was a punk.”

“You told me you had a crush on him when he went here…”

“T-that’s not important!”

And it seemed that, no matter what high school she attended, any gossip was par for the course. It disheartened Shiho. Being in a smaller town, she had hoped that people would be friendlier since they all knew each other. On the flip side of that thought, they did have less to do in Inaba, so rumormongers were bound to be just as sporadic as they were at Shujin. She remembered how such rumors had caused trouble back then.

Instead of dwelling on the past, Shiho started thinking more about the student they were talking about. It wasn’t fair to judge a book by its cover, and never would she, but it did sound like whoever this guy was he had a past here. Whatever that may have been, Shiho resolved to hold all opinions on the mysterious classmate until she could form one for herself.

As her internal dialogue ended, the bell that indicated class was about to begin rang. Everyone returned to their seats, save the one in front of her, Shiho realized. It was empty. Before she could think anymore on the topic, the door to the classroom was thrown open.

Thinking back on it, Shiho hadn’t heard anything about her homeroom’s teacher, except that he was eccentric, but how so?

Seconds later, her thoughts were seemingly answered, as in burst a blue blur that rolled sporadically to the teacher’s proctor, standing up behind it. Able to see the blur now, Shiho saw it was some sort of… mascot?

Making sure she saw right the teenage girl squinted her eyes. The blue bear mascot still in view, she decided that her eyes weren’t failing her. Maybe she fell asleep in class? It would explain why all her classmates didn’t seem even slightly fazed by the mascot’s sudden appearance.

It wore a red suit over its blue body, seemingly waiting on a reaction of some kind. Receiving none, its brow furrowed in confusion. In a melodic voice, it asked, “Not even one of you are surprised by my appearance?”

As if on cue, all the students – save Shiho – shook their heads. Catching the confused look of the young girl, the mascot jumped on the opportunity. “Oh! But someone seems bear-y confused! You’re Suzui-chan, right?”

Reluctantly, Shiho nodded.

Folding his hands behind its back, the mascot broke into a monologue. “Ah, to be so young and move somewhere new. What is that smell? The scent of a new adventure? A blossoming relationship with some lucky young man? What could it be? Well, Suzui-chan, that's for you to decide. It's a new start for you, after all, so come on up here! Come, come!”

A little unnerved by being called out so quickly on the first day of school, Shiho stood from her seat, slowly making her way to the front of the classroom. As she came next to the teacher’s proctor, the mascot – teacher? – assured her that she wasn’t alone.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the only new student. We have someone joining you today. And for maximum dramatic effect!” The bear shook its hands before pointing them towards the classroom door. “I waited to invite him in last. We _all_ remember him, so give a warm welcome back to Ren-kun! Woohoo!”

Shiho’s eyes shot to the door at the mention of the other new student’s name.

 _Ren…?_ she questioned internally, unsure if it was truly her former classmate from Shujin.

Sure enough, appearing in the doorway was a young teenage boy with familiar frizzy black hair, jacket unbuttoned, and the shuffling of his bag indicating Morgana was with him.

He walked in with a grin on his face, calmly entering the classroom. Yet if anyone else watched him like Shiho was, they would have noticed the subtle deep breath he took as he crossed the room’s threshold. Perhaps she was just seeing things. If she wasn’t, then could it mean that Ren was nervous?

Stopping in front of the class, he addressed the teacher. “It’s been too long, Teddie-sensei. How’s Tatsu doing?”

Suddenly, from the mascot costume appeared a young man dressed in a white button-up shirt and black pants. If his shimmering blue eyes didn’t scream philanderer, then a swipe of his blonde hair with his hand did. There was an air about him that made Shiho just the slightest bit uneasy. Based on his actions, however, she decided her new teacher couldn’t be that harmful. After all, his appearance was that of a kid their age, save the pencil-thin mustache and goatee he was sporting.

“He’s doing great! Heard you haven’t been by to see him since you’ve gotten back. What gives, Ren-kun!? We missed you!”

Becoming uneasy himself, the teenaged boy in question chuckled lightly, wanting to change the subject before this became anymore personal. Playing with a lock of hair hanging in front of his face, Ren diverted the conversation as smoothly as he could. “And I missed you guys, too. I’ll swing by the shop sometime this week, promise.”

“You better. Anyway!”

Both the teacher and Ren turned to face the class, earning blank stares from some, silent glares from others. Shiho couldn’t have been the only one to notice that. Mr. Teddie seemed to ignore it, but the younger of the two’s eyes seemed far away. Ren had to have noticed.

Mr. Teddie waved his arms towards Shiho, bringing her back to the present. “This is Suzui Shiho, a transfer from Shujin Academy in Tokyo. Would you like to say something to the class, Suzui-chan?”

Bowing shortly, the girl-in-question introduced herself. “I’m Suzui Shiho. I hope we all get along.”

Turning her gaze to Ren, she received a nod of support, earning a small smile from Shiho. Murmurs started spreading through the room as all the students saw the action. Before she could make out any of the words her classmates were sharing amongst themselves, Mr. Teddie stepped in.

With a finger to his mouth, he commanded loudly, “Hush! We still have to introduce another incoming transfer. Or should I say, a returning transfer! Bum ba da dum! Come on, Ren-kun, it’s your turn in the spotlight.”

“Right,” he confirmed without missing a beat, turning to face his class. “It’s good to see everyone, again. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Amamiya Ren. A pleasure.”

Bowing with a bit of flourish, Shiho couldn’t help but laugh at the display. Ann did say he had always acted a bit goofy in uncomfortable circumstances. The slowly brightening mood was soured quickly as one of the boys in the back row jumped from his seat, pointing an accusatory finger at Ren.

“Why is _he_ here? We’ve heard all the rumors. Amamiya is a criminal,” he accused angrily. “We have our entrance exams and recommendations to universities to worry about, and we bring back a criminal? What’s the big deal, Teddie-sensei!?”

The murmurs from earlier rose in pitch, growing more disgruntled by the second. Mr. Teddie took a deep breath before raising his fingers to his mouth and blowing an ear-piercing whistle between them. Everyone quieted after that, some covering their ears. Once silent, the teacher spoke up sternly.

“Everyone, Amamiya Ren is one of us, born and raised in Inaba. Treat him as one of your classmates or there will be consequences, understood?” Mr. Teddie paused his uncharacteristically serious speech so that his words sank in. Hands on his hips, he continued. “Ren-kun was cleared of all charges, everything expunged from his record. He isn't a criminal and I'll hear nothing besides that. Are we clear?”

Taking the class’s silence as a confirmation of his words, the teacher’s jovial attitude returned in the form of a beaming smile. “Good! Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I am the amazing, un-bear-lievable Teddie-sensei! Your homeroom teacher for the year, a pleasure to meet all of you.”

With a flourish, the teacher bowed deeply several times, hoping for a round of applause that was only offered by Ren. Once he was finished, he ushered the two transfer students to their desks. “Now shoo, you two. I can’t share the stage all day. Ren-kun, could you sit in front of Suzui-chan?”

“Sounds good,” the teenaged boy affirmed, following behind Shiho as the pair took their seats.

Seated, Mr. Teddie jumped straight into his introductory lesson for the day. Paying attention only partly, Shiho noticed a familiar feline sneaking into the cubby of Ren’s desk. Chuckling quietly, the teenaged girl turned her attention to the back of Ren’s head.

As she did, the frizzy-haired teen happily said, “Good to see you again, Suzui-kun.”

Lips unbiddenly returning to a small smile, Shiho replied, “You too, Amamiya-kun.”

As the two students refocused their attention on Mr. Teddie, an unfamiliar giddiness spread through Shiho’s chest. Perhaps this year would be a happy one, after all.

* * *

“I’m surprised Ann didn’t give you my number,” Shiho admitted.

Classes had finished for the day, so she decided to walk with Ren to the shoe lockers to catch up. Leisurely strolling towards the entrance to Inaba, the pair reacquainted themselves with each other quickly.

“You know Ann, she can be a bit forgetful sometimes,” Ren responded, rubbing the back of his head.

“I know what you mean. One time she left her purse on the subway in Tokyo. We had to sprint to the next stop to get it,” Shiho reminisced happily.

Her classmate chuckled. “That’s Ann.”

“That’s Ann,” Shiho agreed.

“Hey, there he is.”

Rumors caused the pair to falter as they continued walking. Words unpleasantly making their way to both Ren and Shiho’s ears caused them to pause their conversation.

“He assaulted someone, right?”

“Yup. Great, now no university’s goin' to take us.”

“We can kiss those scholarships goodbye.”

“What was the principal thinking?”

“Watch out for him, who knows when he’ll crack next.”

“We should stay away from him, come on.”

“I don’t remember him being all the bad. Maybe I was wrong about him.”

“You definitely were.”

A small amount of anger rose inside of Ren. He quickly squashed it down, accepting what everyone had branded him as. He didn’t have many friends even before leaving Inaba, so he could live with the rumors for another year. It seemed his past would follow him wherever he went. Sojiro was right.

“Don’t listen to them.”

Those words brought Ren’s eyes to Shiho’s, who stared at him with a conviction he had only seen in his fellow confidants back in Tokyo. Yet, instead of lighting a fire in him, it calmed him down, grounding him. Besides that, he was taken back to the time when he first met Suzui Shiho, beaten and near the end of her rope, hoping to find something to bring her back from the brink. Now, here she was again, telling Ren to pay no heed to the rumors circling around them like annoying flies.

Stopping at their lockers, Ren smirked, replying, “Same advice, different scenario.”

Smiling lightly, Shiho nodded as she opened her locker. “It just seems like you could use it every now and then. That and, well…”

Opening his locker and putting on his shoes, Ren looked up questioningly at Shiho, who was blushing softly.

“And…?”

Pausing to put on her shoes, Shiho finished, “And it looks like you could use a friend.”

A light pink coloring his cheeks now, Ren grinned, nodding his head. “I think we could both use that, don’t you? Someone who’s there for the other.”

Both teenagers walked towards Yasogami’s doorway, leaving the school and pausing at the gate.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Following her words, Shiho held her hand out expectantly towards Ren. “Please, call me Shiho.”

Staring at the extended hand for only a second, Ren shook it happily. “Alright, Shiho-chan, only if you call me Ren.”

Beaming brightly, she eagerly nodded her head. “Of course, Ren-kun. It’s a deal.”

At that moment, everything seemed to freeze in Ren’s mind as Lavenza’s voice echoed in his head.

**_I am thou, thou art I…_ **

**_Thou hast acquired a forgotten vow._ **

**_It shall reinforce the wings of rebellion that allow thine heart to soar._ **

**_With the birth of the Aeon Arcana, thou hast begun the journey that shall uncover a new mystery and return thine freedom…_ **

Ren snapped back into the present soon enough to see Shiho slowly walking away from the gate, waving at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Waving back, a sudden thought came to Ren. “Wait, Shiho-chan!”

He jogged to the girl, catching up with her as she stopped. “Yes?”

For a moment, the boy’s hand fished around in his pocket for something before pulling out his phone. Without a hitch, he asked, “Can I have your number and chat ID?”

Not missing a beat, Shiho brought her phone out too, exchanging her information with Ren. “Guess I’m just as forgetful, huh?”

“That makes two of us.”

The pair chuckled before Shiho started to slowly head past the gate again. “Okay, _now_ I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Waving, Ren responded, “Of course.”

Shiho took off down the hill, the wind blowing her hair and sun casting her shadow, leaving behind a grinning Ren. As he watched her go, he didn’t notice his sister coming up next to him and following her brother's gaze towards Shiho.

“Hey, Ren, who was that?” Akari asked curiously, eyes turning to aim at him suggestively.

Surprised by his sister’s sudden appearance, Ren jumped slightly. “Geez, Akari, you’re going to give someone a heart attack.”

Chuckling evilly behind her hand, the younger Amamiya responded simply, “I know. Hopefully, it’s you.”

“Yeah, yeah, very funny.”

“Aren’t I? Now, answer the question.”

Staring at her oddly, Ren confusedly answered, “You aren’t funny?”

Rolling her eyes, Akari shoved her brother playfully. “No, not that! I was asking who the girl was.”

“Oh, her.”

Subconsciously, Ren’s eyes rose to where Shiho was only moments ago, seeing she had now disappeared past the hill leading into Inaba.

Feeling the new confidant’s power inside of him, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves easily answered, “She’s a friend.”


	3. Aeon, Rank 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life's search for love and wisdom."_
> 
> _~ Rumi_  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keeping with the weekly schedule, nice to actually keep it going! Hopefully, this starts to pick up for you readers as we keep going. Time to actually introduce another character and expand upon the others. Hey, this is slowly starting to get attention from y'all and while I write for the fun of it... kudos are nice... so are comments... yes...
> 
> Especially on the mentioning of canon and Japanese culture... always willing to work on fixing those and getting better with them.
> 
> I... really don't have much to say? EXCEPT!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6
> 
> *Warning: this chapter mentions past trauma, abuse, and suicide.*

**_Chatroom created._ **

_Ryuji: ‘bout time! Been a week, was worried you were dead or somethin’._

_Ann: Geez, Ryuji, that’s a great way to say hi!_

_Ryuji: You were worried too, Ann._

_Ann: …yeah, but I wouldn’t say it like that…_

_Ryuji: Uh-huh, sure. Hey, who’s the other ID here? Don’t recognize ‘em..._

_Shiho: Hello to you, too, Sakamoto-kun._

_Ren: It’s Shiho-chan, Ryuji._

_Ryuji: Shiho… chan? Ohhhhh, Suzui! ‘Sup! ‘s been a while._

_Ann: Ugh… you really need to learn about tact, Ryuji._

_Ryuji: Hey, Ann? Tryin’ to be nice here._

_Ann: And you’re failing, in front of everyone._

_Ryuji: Hey!_

_Ren: Welcome to the group, Shiho-chan. This is a pretty normal conversation._

_Shiho: I can tell, Ren-kun!_

_Ann: Ren-kun? Shiho-chan? Well, you guys sure are close._

_Ren: We’re in the same class._

_Ann: Uh-huh, that’s all?_

_Shiho: Well, we’re supposed to be meeting up tomorrow. You’re bringing your sister, right Ren-kun?_

_Ren: Yeah, she’ll be with us. She’ll probably make us stop somewhere after._

_Shiho: I’m okay with that! I haven’t seen much of Inaba._

_Ren: Perfect, meet up by the floodplains._

_Shiho: I’ll see you there!_

_Ryuji: Um… ya know we’re still here, right?_

_Ren: Sorry, Ryuji…_

_Shiho: Sorry, Sakamoto-kun!_

* * *

Clouds covered the sky, bringing the threat of rain with them. The sun tried its best to just show its silhouette, but even that was hidden under moving blankets of grey. A lack of sunlight created a lingering fog that skimmed across the surface of the Samegawa River, dancing like several little wisps, casting a mythical atmosphere along the riverbank. Shiho had heard about the role that Inaba’s fog played in its mythology, but she never knew it could be so serene. It felt as if her mind was slowly being drawn in by the goddess, Izanami-no-Mikoto.

Of course, that was nothing, but local superstition based on a religious mythos. Still, it made Shiho wonder all the same if these legends held any truth.

“Hey! Is that her?”

The unfamiliar voice drew Shiho’s attention away from the swirling fog down the river. Walking towards her was Ren with a younger girl who was so shockingly similar in appearance to the frizzy-haired teen that she could only be his sister. The fact that they both wore black blazers over white shirts and glasses further proved Shiho’s point, whereas she stood out with a red sweatshirt like Ann’s and a black skirt with similarly colored yoga shorts underneath.

Hopping around the tall grass, pouncing on the smallest of movements, was Morgana, free of his confinement in Ren’s bag.

A nod of affirmation from a calm Ren confirmed his sister’s question. Once she was sure, she waved happily at Shiho, appearing rather excited to meet her brother’s friend. Bounding towards the older teenaged girl, Ren’s sister came within a foot of her, extending her hand as she showcased a disarming smile. There was something almost cat-like about her.

_These two are too much alike,_ Shiho thought amusedly before she even spoke to her, shaking the girl’s hand briefly.

“Suzui-senpai, hi! My name’s Amamiya Akari, but you can just call me Kari. Everyone does.” The curly-haired teenager introduced herself excitedly. Not much later, a hand ruffled Akari’s hair, making it even messier. She grumbled in annoyance, smacking her brother’s hand away with hers. “Not cool, Ren-Ren!”

Chuckling at the display of sibling affection, Shiho introduced herself, “Call me Shiho then. And Ren-Ren?”

Snickering, seeing her chance for revenge, Akari responded, “Well Shiho-senpai, it’s what I’ve _always_ called Ren. It annoys him, so if you ever wanna mess with him, that’s what you should call him.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Sighing good-naturedly, Ren chimed in, “You don’t have to do that, Shiho-chan. Just ignore anything my sister has to say.”

Deciding to play with Ren for once, the girl smirked coyly stating, “I don’t know, _Ren-Ren_. I think I’ll have to hold on to that for later.”

Playfully winking at her newly rekindled friend, Shiho turned around, starting to walk down the riverbank with her hands folded behind her back. Ren watched after her, eyes slightly wider than usual after being toyed with by his classmate. Usually, he was the playful one.

Laughing next to him, Akari ran after Shiho. “I like her, Ren-Ren. This is gonna be fun.” When she caught up with her senior, she began animatedly talking with the dark-haired girl.

Morgana followed the younger Amamiya, snickering. Although no one else could hear the cat speaking, all three could hear the feline’s cackling.

Realizing he was being left behind, Ren shook his head with a small smile on his face before jogging after the group. Within the first few minutes of their meeting, the former Phantom Thief knew he was going to be in for quite the day. Even if he would be using his words to defend himself against his sister, Shiho, _and_ Morgana, an excitement pulsed throughout Ren.

Finally falling into step next to Shiho, the older Amamiya internally assumed, _Today’s going to be an interesting one._

* * *

“That was _so_ much fun! You gotta come shopping with us again, Shiho-senpai,” Akari exclaimed as she and Shiho walked out of Junes, the local shopping center. “Maybe next time you’ll get to meet the manager, he’s a family friend. Oh! Maybe his son will be back in town, too! He’s a bigshot in the music industry nowadays.”

Behind them trailed Ren who was carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and some school supplies each of the students needed. As soon as he walked past the sliding doors, he felt a familiar presence next to his side as Morgana rejoined the group. Smiling at his feline companion, the frizzy-haired teen refocused on the conversation in front of him, making sure to pay attention to any cues that Akari was about to tell an embarrassing story (as if he could stop her).

“Really? What’s his name?” Shiho questioned curiously. “When I was in the hospital, I started listening to all kinds of music.”

“Well I don’t really remember his real name, actually, but I think his stage name is ‘Disco Frog?’ Not sure, but that name’s kinda ridiculous,” Akari thought out loud before giggling to herself.

Thinking on the name of the musician, Shiho shook her head. “Can’t really think of a musician I listened to with that name. Sounds like it might be a bit too crazy for me, anyway.”

“Probably. Personally, I’ve always liked Lyn, so does Ren.”

Turning on her heels, Akari was now facing her brother as she walked backward. Shiho, meanwhile, glanced over her shoulder towards the older Amamiya, an intrigued glint in her eye.

“You like Lyn, Ren-kun?”

“Yup,” he responded with a sheepish smile. “I know her music is a little heavy, but Akari and I always dance and sing to it. It keeps the house alive when our parents are gone.”

Pleasant surprise etched itself on Shiho’s face. “You too? I thought I was the only one that got pumped up from her music.”

Attention returned to the older teenage girl and, cutting her brother off, Akari exclaimed, “You listen to Lyn? That’s awesome! You need to come over sometime so we can have a jam party or something. We’re always playing her, right Ren?”

Both girls faced Ren, stopping the group. The younger of the two gave her brother a subtle wink. Shaking his head slightly in amusement, Ren extended, “We could always use another vocalist. Sometimes Akari sounds worse than Morgana.”

“Hey!” they both yelled in unison, annoyingly glaring at the frizzy-haired teen. He only chuckled in response.

“You can join us anytime, Shiho-chan. Consider it an invitation to karaoke.”

Smiling gratefully, she nodded her head excitedly. “That sounds great, I’ll have to take you both up on that sometime. Never took you for the Lyn-type.”

Walking past his new friend and sister, Ren adjusted his glasses as he cast a playful glance at Shiho. “What can I say, I’m a man full of surprises.”

Giggling and catching up with her classmate, Shiho responded, “Seems that way.”

Akari caught up behind them as they entered Inaba’s shopping district. Ren had remembered that years ago the stores were abandoned, and the grey of the sidewalk was the dominating color. After Junes became more involved with the town’s shopping scene, pumped money back into the local economy, and boutique stores became more popular, the district had returned to its former glory. New shops featuring antiques, vintage video games, art pieces from blossoming artists, and instruments had appeared alongside the older restaurants and specialty stores. Even the shrine saw more business, somehow maintaining its upkeep even though it didn’t have a proper groundskeeper – that had always puzzled Ren. Against all odds, Inaba had exploded in a scene of culture and excitement that it hadn’t seen in years, attracting tourists and new residents alike to a peaceful countryside lifestyle.

Entering the shopping district brought this peace of mind to the group, which was quickly impeded upon by Akari.

“So why were you in the hospital, Shiho-senpai?”

Ren had feared this question, knowing Akari’s curiosity would get the better of her. Yet he hadn’t prepared for it so soon. Of course, it was innocent enough, but turning to see Shiho, he noticed that far-away, terrified look had instantly overtaken her eyes, causing her to halt immediately. The younger Amamiya almost ran into her.

Sensing something was wrong and seeing Ren’s concerned expression, Akari tentatively asked, “Shiho-senpai…?”

“I… um, I…” she stuttered, dark thoughts plaguing her mind as the words ‘jumped off of the roof of my school’ stayed permanently stuck in her throat. An echoing laugh, maniacal and threatening, took over, blocking out all exterior sound even though the teenaged girl could sense movement around her.

Shadows encroached from the corner of Shiho’s eyes and a rapid beating took hold of her chest. Even as the voice of strong protest resounded throughout her being, fighting against her inner demons, Shiho still felt his slithering words resounding through her, claiming victory. After all this time, he was still winning over her.

Would she ever be rid of him?

“Shiho… Shiho… _Shiho_.”

Her name was spoken by a kind, yet firm voice broke the teenaged girl away from her thoughts. Returning to the present, she caught herself breathing heavily and felt small drops of sweat trickling down the back of her neck.

Ren stood in front of Shiho, his eyes full of concern and hands comfortingly gripping her shoulders. The sight of him tending to her caused a wave of calming relief to wash over her, dispersing _his_ voice almost instantly. Breath and heart returning to a matching pace, the teenaged girl smiled meekly.

“Sorry, Ren-kun. It was just… you know.”

Nodding his head in understanding, he asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

“You’re already doing enough, trust me. Having someone call out my name grounds me,” she answered as Ren removed his hands from her shoulder. “It… helped a lot.”

Gently, the frizzy-haired teen replied, “I’ll be glad to do it anytime. What you went through was… unforgivable. On all of our parts. So, let me help you in any way I can, okay?”

Shiho nodded her head, a sense of resolution returning to her.

“I will. Thank you, Ren-kun.”

“Anytime, Shiho-chan.”

Noticing they were alone, the teenaged girl turned her head every which way searching for Akari and Morgana, not realizing they had left until now.

“Where’s your sister and Morgana?” she asked.

“They went on without us, giving you a moment,” Ren answered, gesturing to a shop across the street. “Come on, they went over there.”

Guiding them towards the shop, the frizzy-haired teen stopped at the door, allowing Shiho to read the store’s sign.

_Tatsumi Textiles._

Walking into the store, the sight of numerous different fabrics hanging all around the store in magnificent rolls greeted the pair. On the wooden platform slightly raised from the ground floor stood several displays and mannequins showcasing different designs made from cloth ranging from toys to practical clothing. Every single item was handmade, exquisitely one might add, and the shop itself styled to have a more traditional appearance, from the way the bolts of cloth were displayed to the wooden platform where a mat was laid out, indicating the spot where the shopkeeper sold their wares. Standing in front of the platform was Akari and Morgana, who upon hearing the sliding doors turned towards Shiho and Ren.

Upon seeing them, the younger Amamiya’s expression became apologetic. She knew she had said something wrong to her brother’s classmate. Judging from her puffed cheeks, she was trying to find the right words to communicate her apology.

Akari took a deep breath in and bowed slightly, beginning her apology with “Shiho-senpai, I’m so sorry…”

Before she could even describe what she was apologizing for, the group heard a ruckus from past the doorway behind the raised wooden platform. From the sounds of crashing, Shiho made to move to check what was happening. But when she saw Akari and Ren just watching with amused expressions, she decided against it, curiosity gnawing at her. The noises indicated a struggle, but neither Amamiya seemed concerned about what was happening.

Not a minute after the noise began did a man appear in the doorway trying to shove off a clingy, blue bear that Shiho recognized as Mr. Teddie. The man swung his leg, flinging the mascot off of him. He landed right in front of Shiho and Ren. Upon opening his eyes, he noticed the two teenagers.

Smiling and waving, Mr. Teddie greeted them. “Ah, Suzui-chan, Ren-kun. Glad you guys are here! About time you showed up with a pretty girl, Ren-kun.” The last remark came out as chastising, earning awkward chuckles from Mr. Teddie’s two students.

“Okay, _bear_ , I told ya a hundred times before!”

The voice brought everyone’s attention back to the man in the doorway. He appeared bigger than a normal man, his demeanor telling Shiho he was ready for a fight at any moment. A scar on the left side of his forehead only strengthened this violent appearance. His hair was uncharacteristically blond, indicating that it was most likely bleached that way. Fixing his glasses, he stomped his bare foot forward, ruffling the bottom of his purple kimono.

“Don’t come bargin’ in here! It scares the costumers!”

The threat was delivered violently, but everyone in the room who knew him shrugged it off, knowing that was just how the man acted.

“But Kanji-kun, I’m bored!” Mr. Teddie whined as he stood up.

“Yeah, well, you don’t hafta hassle my customers, got it?” the man named Kanji stated, having not noticed who else was there. Finally addressing them, he coughed into his hands, apologizing. “Sorry ‘bout that. Ya know friends, right…?”

Kanji trailed off, finally noticing his familiar customers. Giving him a relaxed wave, Ren greeted, “Hey, Tatsu. How’s my favorite cousin doing?”


	4. Aeon, Rank 2.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realized what's changed is you."_
> 
> _~ F. Scott Fitzgerald_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are... back, ladies and gentlemen! Back in line, back in tow, and back with the exciting news that, with only three chapters, we are approaching 1000 hits... which is pretty cool, methinks. Maybe not to some of you veterans on here, but to a budding fic writer on a new site, it's pretty nice. So, with that being said, I expect this chapter to bring those hits to 1000.
> 
> Can we do it?
> 
> Absolutely!
> 
> So, keep checking in, passing along this fic, and, you know, dropping a kudos, bookmark, review, and I'll be a happy apple. Because it's fall, and that means it's apple season.
> 
> Apple pie... yummy...
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

“Ren-Ren! What the hell, dude!? When’d you get back?”

Upon seeing his cousin, Kanji ran up and wrapped Ren in a bear hug, lifting the teenager up off the ground. The frizzy-haired boy smiled and patted his cousin’s back.

“Good to see you, too, Tatsu,” he responded, adding, “Can’t really answer your questions… if I can’t breathe…”

Eyes widening in realization, the bigger man let go of Ren, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head as his cheeks turned a light shade of red.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Ren-Ren. Just got excited, it’s been too long since we last saw ya here.”

Ren recovered quickly and grinned, glad to see his cousin’s soft side still there after all these years. During his childhood, people made fun of Kanji for it, suppressing it until his teenage years. Ren didn’t know what caused such a drastic change in him, but Kanji soon started sewing again. He even worked to take over the shop from his Mother, Ren’s Auntie, who had passed away a few years ago.

It was a sore subject for his cousin. Ren had waited for Kanji to talk to him about it, understanding he may not have had many people to talk to confidently. Yet, years later, Kanji still held the truth from his cousins. Perhaps he _had_ found someone during those years with whom he could share his true feelings.

Whatever the case, Ren was happy to see Kanji acting so open about his hobbies and his emotions.

“I know, I know. Only got back last week. And don’t lecture me on not seeing you, Teddie-sensei has already done that,” Ren joked, deflecting any further comments towards his teacher.

“Figured he would, and don’t call him Teddie- _sensei_ , it gives him a big head…”

“Ah don’t be that way, Kanji-kun!” the teacher exclaimed as he stood from his position, slapping the blond a little too hard on the back for his liking.

Turning to the mascot – who was acting completely innocent – Kanji raised his fist as threateningly as he could. “Watch it, bear, you’re on a short leash already.”

“Whatever you say, Kanji-kun,” Mr. Teddie replied in a sing-song voice before tapping his friend on his nose.

“Ugh… what am I gonna do with you? Anyway, Kari-chan, always nice to see you.”

Finally being addressed, the younger Amamiya snapped out of her guilty mood to greet her cousin. She rushed into his arms with so much force, that the bigger man had to twirl around with her so they wouldn’t fall to the ground. Once finished, Akari let go, unfazed. Meanwhile, Kanji tried to keep himself steady on his feet.

She giggled. “Always nice to see you too, Tatsu. How've you been?”

Recovering from his dizzy spell, the blond man shook his head to reorient himself before answering his cousin. “Business is boomin’ thanks to you, Kari-chan. All of your classmates have been stoppin' by askin' for a cute animal for their phone.”

Cheering, Akari declared, “I knew they would! All girls my age are suckers for cute stuff.”

“No kiddin’.”

Glancing at the black cat next to the younger Amamiya, Kanji knelt to his level, hoping to pet it. “Aw, who’s this little guy?”

Moving his hand towards him, he received a swat of his paw in return. Morgana, with one leap, dove into Ren’s bag with practiced finesse. Seconds later, he poked his head out, wearily eyeing Kanji.

“This is your cousin, Ren? He’s as big as a gorilla!” Morgana mewed.

Chuckling, Ren replied, “Come on, Morgana, he’s as soft as a teddy bear.”

“It’s true!” Mr. Teddie jumped in, interrupting the conversation. “Why, one time when we were at the hot springs, he acted like a total sap!”

With more speed than Akari or Ren had ever seen in their cousin, Kanji covered the teacher’s mouth, somehow muffling him even though he wore his mascot’s costume.

“Shut it, bear!”

Through his hand, everyone could hear muffled laughter.

Before either of his cousins could ask about what Mr. Teddie wanted to say, Kanji deflected any questions by inquiring, “So, Ren-Ren, who’s your girlfriend?”

For the second time that day, both former-Shujin students chuckled uncomfortably at the insinuation about their relationship.

“She’s not my girlfriend, Tatsu.”

Breaking the tension, Shiho bowed shortly and introduced herself. “My name is Suzui Shiho. Nice to meet you, Tatsumi-san.”

“And manners to boot,” Kanji commented as he let go of Teddie, dropping him on the floor. “Thanks for addressin’ me like that, but, uh… no one really calls me Tatsumi-san, you can just call me Kanji.”

Gently smiling, Shiho nodded her head. “Okay, Kanji-san.”

“Still with the honorifics… bah, whatever. A pleasure, Shiho-kun. Friends with this troublemaker?”

“It would appear so,” Shiho answered with a wistful, yet unabashedly joking tone.

Shoving his shoulder playfully into the former volleyball player, Ren stated, “Hey, I’m not a troublemaker anymore. In fact, I’m a reformed member of society, now.”

“Sure, sure, Ren-Ren,” Shiho poked back, showing she had quite the sarcastic side to her.

For a moment, they fell into their own little world, squabbling with each other like long-term friends. From an outsider perspective, the rest of the group in the shop just watched. While a heartwarming sight, their obliviousness surprised everyone. Of course, from what Akari and Mr. Teddie knew, they had just re-met. The process of falling back on their familiarity, no matter how slight, helped them acclimatize to their new school setting. Even then, however, something seemingly started forming between the two students.

“This is going to be interesting to watch,” Mr. Teddie spoke behind his hand. “Oh, I can’t wait!”

“Yeah, but don’t say nothin’, bear. Let ‘em figure it out themselves,” Kanji stated before moving back to the wooden platform. “What can I help you with, Kari-chan?”

Turning away from her brother and Shiho, the younger Amamiya happily stated, “Just wanting to say hi today, still working on the last project you gave me.”

“Oh, really?” Kanji smiled appreciatively. “Have enough material for it?”

“Yup! It’s coming along great, I think I’ll have Ren-Ren beat in no time.”

“Yeah, good luck. He’s pretty good with his hands. I remember he used to come in here all the time askin’ for new patterns. Hopefully, he’s been keepin’ up with it.” Turning towards his older cousin, Kanji called, “You been keepin’ up with sewin’ right, Ren-Ren?”

Finally ending his conversation with Shiho, Ren responded, “Not exactly… but I think I could pick it up again pretty quick. Mind giving me a pattern and some material?”

Shiho tuned in to Ren’s conversation with his cousin. She didn’t know he could sew. Wanting to hear more about it, the dark-haired teenaged girl continued listening, deciding to ask the frizzy-haired teen about his hidden skill later.

“Yeah I can do that,” Kanji confirmed before searching through a set of drawers that appeared to have many different sewing patterns in them. “What’re you lookin’ for?”

Thinking about what he could use to reacquaint himself with textiles, Ren took off his shoes and joined his cousin on the wooden platform. Just as Kanji had, the teenaged boy searched through the drawers, searching for the perfect pattern. A few moments passed before the older Amamiya found a pattern he wanted to use. Smirking, he pointed at the chosen pattern, wanting to see Kanji’s response.

The blond man raised his hand to his chin in thought for a moment before grinning and nodding his head. “Alright! Lemme get the materials for that. Oh, and don’t think of payin’. Consider this your welcome home present from the gang.”

Having already reached for his wallet, Ren chuckled and put it away, knowing not to argue with his cousin on the subject. After all, a gift would be appreciated.

Turning to everyone else, he saw them talking amongst themselves.

Ren walked over to Kanji as he put the necessary materials and sewing pattern into a bag.

“Speaking of, how’s the gang doing?” Ren asked, curious about the closest people he had to friends in Inaba.

“Pretty good, actually. In fact, we’re having an entire get-together here in ‘bout a week at Aiya’s. Everyone will be there,” Kanji invited as he finished placing everything in a bag, handing it to Ren. The blond man chuckled, “Heh, even ‘Disco Frog’ and Miss Idol are gonna make an appearance. Sure they’d all like to see ya.”

Grinning at the prospect of seeing everyone, Ren accepted. “Yeah, I’d like that. In a week at Aiya’s then?”

“Yup! I’ll send ya the details. Still got your number, I think.”

“Great, then I’ll be there. Looking forward to seeing all of them.”

* * *

Not long after Ren had received his gift from his cousin, the group decided to leave. Waving goodbye as they opened the sliding doors and stepped outside, a setting sun shined in their faces, showing how quickly time had passed. Later than they thought, they decided to end the day there. So, they made their way towards the Samegawa Riverbank.

Happily humming along to the beat of her own tune with Morgana yowling along, Akari strolled carefreely, now carrying her new purchases, ahead of Shiho and Ren. The two former-Shujin students watched amusedly as the black cat attempted to sing along with the younger Amamiya. If either of the others could have heard Morgana, they would have been laughing a little harder at his attempts to sing. Rather, the cat’s attempts at making lyrics to the song made the frizzy-haired teen chuckle.

“Morgana’s a pretty talented singer,” Shiho commented.

Ren laughed, which he covered very quickly with his hand. Earning a questioning glance from his friend, he waved her off, saying, “It’s nothing. I just thought it was funny that you think that’s singing.”

“Oh? And you can perfectly do one of Lyn’s song, right?” Shiho asked with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk.

“Perfectly, Shiho-chan. We’ll have to head to Okina City sometime and sing karaoke. Then you’ll see just how talented I really am.”

“We’ll make plans, but I expect an all-star performance.”

“Deal,” Ren confirmed as he extended his hand to Shiho, who shook it without a second thought.

They walked in companionable silence for a few moments as they watched the performance. Even with the off-pitch musical antics ahead of them, their walk along the Samegawa created a sense of peace, something that Ren hadn’t felt strolling along this river since his early teenage years. The setting sun reflected brilliant oranges off the water’s surface. Being spring, the trees around the group started to green, returning life to the usually quiet town. Dogs barked in the distance, the smell of food reached Ren’s noise, and everything felt at peace.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shiho glancing his way. Turning towards her, he caught her by surprise but earned an unabashed smile. Perhaps she thought along the same lines.

Having his attention and playing with her long, ponytail, Shiho asked, “So, you can sew, huh?”

Adjusting his glasses, Ren responded, “Yeah, it’s kind of a family business. My dad left it a while ago, though. But we keep in contact with Tatsu and the store, so he taught Akari and me about textiles.”

“That’s amazing. Ann did mention you’re pretty skilled with your fingers.”

A sudden red crept up to Ren’s face as he rubbed the back of his head. “Well… um…”

Shiho watched her friend confusedly before realizing what she had said. Once she did, she covered her face with her hands, hiding the beating blush that erupted on her face. “Oh, no…! I-I didn’t mean it like that! I meant, that…”

Chuckling awkwardly, Ren recovered the situation. “I understand what you mean. But yeah, I never really did sewing back in Tokyo, so not many people knew.”

Feeling her embarrassment finally retreating, Shiho uncovered her face and chose her words carefully. “Then how did Ann know you were so skilled?”

“I used to make stuff, like ornaments. When it comes down to it, I guess you could say I make all kinds of things.”

 _Including an entire toolset for thieves_ , Ren thought to himself, not betraying what he really did for the Phantom Thieves to Shiho.

Thinking for a moment, Shiho replied teasingly, “That’s amazing! Then I expect something homemade for my birthday.”

Taking her jest seriously, Ren smiled and said, “Will do, just let me know when your birthday is.”

The actual offer took Shiho a bit by surprise. “Really?”

“Of course. I always like making my friends something special on their birthdays. I gave Morgana a homemade cat toy for his birthday last year.”

“I bet Morgana appreciated that,” the dark-haired teen replied brightly.

“He came around. So, when’s your birthday?”

The group came to a stop as Shiho slowed down, noticing the steps that took her to her address. “In the summer.”

“Specific.”

Smirking, Shiho swatted Ren’s arm. “Don’t be impatient, I’ll let you know when it’s coming up.”

Placatingly raising his hands, the frizzy-haired teen acquiesced, “Okay, okay. Is this your stop?”

“Uh-huh,” Shiho confirmed while nodding her head. “Thanks for today. I had a lot of fun. Want to meet here to walk to class together tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.”

“Great, then I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“See you then.”

Shiho waved goodbye to everyone then crossed her hands behind her back as she hopped up the stairs to the connecting street. Watching her go until she disappeared out-of-view, Ren turned towards the path home to see Akari and Morgana watching him expectantly.

“What?” he asked confusedly.

“Oh, nothing,” Akari responded in a sing-song voice before skipping ahead with Morgana tailing her. She called over her shoulder, “Just glad to see you making friends is all.”

Scoffing and not believing her, Ren decided not to press the issue, “Right, right.”

The older brother jogged to catch up with his sister and Morgana. As he did, he expected Akari to continue the conversation. Instead, she remained silent, staring into the distance – she rarely stayed that quiet.

Something remained on her mind, Ren knew that from years of living with her. Yet he also knew that she would talk in time and that pressing the issue would only cause more problems. So, he waited in the stuffy silence that drug out between them.

Just as they neared the end of their trek along the Samegawa, Akari stopped the group. Having thought on her words, she asked without hesitation, “Did I say something wrong back there?”

“Back where?” Ren asked for clarity.

“You know, when I asked Shiho about the hospital,” Akari expanded as she stared at her feet.

“Ah, I see.”

“Yeah…”

Ren had to think about his words for a moment. After all, he didn’t have the right to tell Akari about what had happened to Shiho, that conversation would happen in due time if they became friends. He had to phrase this in a way to not give out too much information but to also make his sister know she did nothing wrong. After all, the younger Amamiya couldn’t have known about Kamoshida and his terrifying reign of Shujin Academy.

Placing his hand on his sister’s shoulder, Ren regained Akari’s attention. “You didn’t say anything wrong, Akari, trust me. It’s something you couldn’t have known about. Shiho’s injury was… serious, so she doesn’t like talking about it much.” Before the curly-haired girl could respond, Ren added, “And don’t feel bad about it. Shiho’s fine now, and after today, I think she likes you. Just be careful about mentioning that around her. Okay?”

A bit of pep returned to Akari. Curiosity prompted her to ask more about the injury, but she understood that her brother couldn’t tell her. Instead, the younger Amamiya smiled meekly.

“Alright, I get it. Thanks for telling me that much, Ren-Ren.”

Ren returned the gesture. “Anytime, Kari.”

“Great. Now that your little sibling one-on-one time is over, can we get some food, now? Maybe sushi?” Morgana mewed, turning the Amamiyas’ gazes on him.

Akari giggled. “Sounds like Morgana’s hungry. Come on, let’s eat! I want some of that curry you said you would make me!”

She bolted up the stairs, quickly joined by Morgana who acquiesced, “I can live with curry. Let’s go, Ren! I’m hungry!”

The teenager chuckled at his family, shaking his head. He walked calmly after them, making sure to take his time so that they would learn the meaning of patience. A walk down the Samegawa, visiting his cousin, and cooking dinner for his younger sister; it hit him. Ren realized that he had truly returned to Inaba, his hometown. Yet, thinking on a particular former-volleyball player, the frizzy-haired teen knew some things had changed.


	5. ???, Rank 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"The language of friendship is not words but meanings."_
> 
> _~ Henry David Thoreau_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I knew y'all were awesome, made it to 1200 hits by this chapter! Thanks for the views and kudos and comments and bookmarks, y'all, I'm happy to see this fic is getting some decent attention. Finally, we have the rest of the Seekers of Truth entering the stage. It's always fun to bring together all of the Persona characters, hopefully, my take on it works for y'all. Anyway, I'll get off now and let y'all read. Looking forward to seeing the kudos, the comments, and the bookmarks, and I'll see you all next week!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

_Ren: Still want to meet up for coffee later?_

_Shiho: Yeah! I just got home from school, so I’ll meet you after dinner._

_Ren: Great! My dinner with Tatsu and everyone should be done around that time._

_Shiho: Okay, and the place is called Kohi’s?_

_Ren: Yup, I’ve always preferred it over Starvicks. Their coffee can be pretty burnt…_

_Shiho: Hehe, I should have known you would be a coffee snob._

_Ren: Not a snob… I just know good coffee better than a Starvicks fan._

_Shiho: Well, as a Starvicks fan, I can say their flavored lattes do hit the spot!_

_Ren: After half of it is filled with sugar._

_Shiho: And sugar hits the spot, too!_

_Ren: …it’s no wonder you and Ann are friends._

_Shiho: Snacks do bring the world together, have you ever seen someone unhappy when their eating ice cream?_

_Ren: Can’t say I have. Fine, I retract my statement, Starvicks is good for beverages._

_Shiho: Good!_

_Ren: But not for coffee._

_Shiho: …I’ll take it. Well, I should get started on some of Teddie-sensei’s homework, might need help tonight. Looking forward to learning from the Coffee Guru, Ren-sensei._

_Ren: Remember, good coffee first, homework second. I’ll see you there!_

* * *

The frizzy-haired teen smiled to himself after receiving a ‘thumbs-up’ and ‘coffee’ emoji from Shiho as a final response to their conversation. Ren pocketed his phone, his pride swelling just a bit at being called ‘Coffee Guru.’ Sojiro would say otherwise, but the teenager knew that his paternal-figure and boss would be proud all the same. Whether the brusque man would show it or not was a different topic altogether. Most likely he would just continue about his work before telling Ren to serve any customers while flashing an approving grin behind his newspaper barrier. After all, it was how their little interactions had paced themselves.

Chuckling at his new title and his mentor’s imaginary reaction, Ren garnered Morgana’s attention. The cat stared up at the former leader of the Phantom Thieves, letting out a low laugh that would sound like pleased mewing to the normal passer-by.

“Ah, such young love. Makes me wish for my own, as well,” the black feline recited dramatically with a hint of wistfulness. “Careful, Ren, you might end up liking this girl.”

Mood still high, Ren replied, “We’re just friends Morgana. Having one or two in class isn’t such a bad thing.”

“Uh-huh, sure. Are you just saying that because of _her_?” Morgana prodded carefully, a glint appearing in his eye when Ren almost tripped over himself.

Using his cat-like reflexes saved the frizzy-haired teen from tripping over his own feet onto the concrete sidewalk, something he was grateful for. He sighed in relief before addressing his four-legged friend.

“We don’t need to talk about that right now, Morgana,” Ren stated, hoping that the feline understood him.

He ignored the teen’s plea. “Ren, it’s something you need to talk about. It doesn’t matter if it’s with her or someone else, you need to express your feelings.”

Gritting his teeth, Ren’s frustration spiked. Just as soon as it appeared, it disappeared with a quick wave of calm washing over him; a technique that he used whenever assailing a Palace. It was one of the more useful things he took into the real world after hanging up his mask.

“I know, Morgana. I know. But now’s not the time to talk about Makoto. It will have to wait for later.”

“Ren…”

Stopping, the frizzy-haired teen opened his bag, ready for the cat to jump in. Smirking, Ren stated. “Come on. Into your prison you go, think of it as punishment.”

Morgana returned his friend’s expression, happily jumping into his second home. “Fine. But I demand sushi!”

In front of them was a restaurant which had a sign reading _Aiya’s_. Sliding open the glass door to the familiar establishment, Ren was immediately hit by the foreign smell of Chinese food. The familiar greeting from the head-chef behind the stove brought back pleasant family meals shared by the Amamiya’s when they were reunited after their parents’ sporadic business trips. A cloud of steam casted a thin fog over the entire diner, slowly seeping through the air vents and out the open door, clearing the establishment every so often. Ren smiled, and not for the first time, he was happy to be home. Absentmindedly, he wondered if he could finally beat the Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge.

“It’s Chinese food, Morgana,” Ren replied amusedly. “I’ll get you some duck.”

“Deal!”

With that, the cat disappeared into the bag, just in time for the chef to glance at Ren, swearing he had heard meowing. Shrugging his shoulders, the chef thought better of it, returning to his current working-order.

Thankful that Morgana wasn’t discovered, Ren scanned the room, seeing no one else but two blond men sitting at one of Aiya’s bigger tables. Mr. Teddie was the first to notice Ren. Kanji tried to turn around to see who had walked in but was halted by his friend’s hand pushing his head down. It seemed that excitement was mingling with the steamy air, almost personifying itself in the diner.

“Hey! Ren-kun, over here!” Mr. Teddie yelled as he frantically waved, unintentionally leaning all his weight into pushing Kanji’s face into the table. His cousin’s voice was muffled, but even Ren could tell that he was cursing up a storm.

Once the frizzy-haired teen had come to the table, Kanji was able to finally break free from Mr. Teddie’s hold. “Dammit, bear! Ya almost killed me!”

“Did not! I was just waving at the marvelous Ren-kun,” Mr. Teddie explained gesturing frantically to the sitting young man.

This didn’t settle Kanji down. He grabbed hold of the teacher’s collar, lifting him from his chair. “You did both!”

Then, the bigger blond man started shaking Mr. Teddie, making him visibly dizzy.

“I-I don’t know what… uh, Kanji-kun… I think I’m going to be sick…”

Thankfully, the man heard his friend in time, dropping him to his seat before he went too far.

“Don’t blow chunks on me, man! They’re going to be here any second.”

As if on cue, the trio heard the door to Aiya’s open again and the owner greet the new customers. Turning towards the entrance, they were greeted by the sight of old friends.

In walked four people that Kanji and Mr. Teddie had known since high school, the former having attended Yasogami around the same time they had. Ren, when he had moved to Inaba with his family, had met them shortly after his cousin had graduated. They were as much his family as Kanji.

An auburn-haired woman, who most of Japan would recognize instantly, had her arm wrapped around a brunet man’s arm wearing a pair of headphones around his neck. Their laughter was echoing through the diner, punctuating their careers as musicians: loud and fun, bringing happiness to those around them. Rise and Yosuke, also known as Disco Frog, enjoyed their life as Japan’s brightest musician couple. Whereas the pop idol Risette always sang their songs, Disco Frog made every beat from scratch, effectively changing the pace for the entire music industry in his short career. Some would say that was the effect his fiancée had on him, and if that was the case, Ren had to say it was a pretty good reason to pursue such a successful career as they had. He still remembered when they celebrated Yosuke’s proposal shortly before he was sent to Tokyo.

They talked animatedly with a woman wearing a police uniform and sporting a bowl-cut, who was wide-eyed at whatever story Risette was telling her. Next to her was her best friend and owner of the Amagi Inn. Only coming over for a short dinner break (Ren surmised), she was wearing a pink yukata and red hairband accentuating her black hair, making her appear the part of the ‘Japanese Beauty’ many men associated her with. Chie and Yukiko, two of Ren’s first friends when his family had moved to Inaba to retreat from city life. It was only five years ago, of course, but meeting such animated characters and reconnecting with his equally eccentric cousin made it seem like the frizzy-haired teen had lived in the country town all his life. As he smiled at the thought, it was then that Rise noticed Ren.

Beaming, she exclaimed, “Ren! You’re back!”

Standing to greet the pop idol, he was surprised when she enveloped him in a hug, bringing his face to her chest. Thankfully, it was one of the days Rise decided to wear a jacket. Otherwise, Ren’s face would be redder than it already was.

“Geez, don’t suffocate the poor guy,” Yosuke said as he came to his fiancée’s side.

She let go of the teen, puffing her cheeks up at her music partner. “I wasn’t suffocating him! I was just excited, okay?”

“I know, I know. Just jealous when you hug another guy like that,” Yosuke joked, winking at Rise before greeting Ren. “How ya doing, Ren-Ren? It’s been a while!”

“I’m alright, Disco Frog. Was hoping you would both stop by Yasogami to pump up my popularity at some point,” the frizzy-haired teen joked, knowing full well they were out of the country.

Yosuke rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, come on, you know we were touring America. Japanese culture is really taking off there.”

“Yeah, just thought I’d give you a hard time.”

“Who doesn’t, am I right?” Chie butted in as she and Yukiko came to the table. She gave a wave to Ren. “’Sup! My kung-fu lessons come in handy in Tokyo?”

Thinking on his acrobatic stunts as a Phantom Thief, Ren grinned knowingly. “More than you know. How are you, Yukiko?”

The owner of the Amagi Inn bowed shortly in greeting. “Fine, thank you. I am glad to see you are doing so well, Ren-kun. We've missed you and Akari at the hot springs.”

“We’ll be there before you know it, don’t worry.”

Yukiko nodded in confirmation with a pleased smile.

“Hey! Didn’t you all miss me, too!?” Mr. Teddie stood from his chair. “I missed you all bear-y much!”

“Ah, crap. The bear…” Yosuke muttered before taking a seat. Rise pinched him on the arm. “Ouch!”

“Don’t be so mean to Teddie,” she reprimanded as she sat next to Yosuke. “After all, you two used to live together.”

The remaining guests followed suit in sitting themselves.

“And you’d feel the same way if you did, too.”

“Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Chie remarked positively.

“You didn’t have to clean up his room, and you don’t want to know what was under his bed,” Yosuke rebuttaled, earning a collective groan from the group.

Mr. Teddie turned his head every-which-way in panic, waving off his former roommate's comment. “Oh, Yosuke, you’re such a kidder! They weren’t anywhere near as bad as what was under your bed.”

“Dude…”

“Anyway! Enough talk about that. How was Tokyo, Ren?” Chie diverted, leaving the conversation.

Focusing on what to get, the frizzy-haired teen looked up from the menu. Deciding quickly, he mentally chose his desired dish, ready for when the waitress came to take their order. He knew she would be coming over soon enough and without warning.

“It was great. Made a lot of friends and my probation was lifted, so not a bad time,” Ren responded, purposefully steering away from any talk about Phantom Thieves.

“You didn’t get into any trouble, yeah?” Kanji asked, perusing the menu himself.

Fixing his glasses, his cousin reassured, “Never.”

“You sure, Ren-Ren? Weren’t you there when the Phantom Thieves were at large?” Chie prodded jokingly, giving Ren a playful glance. “You didn’t get caught up in that, did you?”

Despite knowing it was all in jest, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves felt a drop of sweat slowly trickle down the back of his neck. Whether that was due to the steamy restaurant or the fact that Chie was so close to discovering the truth, Ren couldn’t tell. He swore he heard a certain cat snickering.

“Of course not, couldn’t become a criminal. Nao-kun would never forgive me.”

Chie chuckled before picking up a menu herself. “Yeah, you’re right. She’d be pretty peeved.”

Internally, the frizzy-haired teen sighed in relief. Now he had to just deflect any more talk about the Phantom Thieves.

“Say, wasn’t Naoto-kun working on that case?” Yukiko questioned Kanji.

Or they could just keep talking about it.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. It was weird. ‘Round Christmas she said it was like all of a sudden the clouds were red and stuff,” Kanji summarized. “Then the Phantom Thieves just disappeared. No trace of them or nothin’, just gone. In fact, she said it kinda felt like when we were in high school. Ya know, when we…”

The blond man halted his thoughts, realizing what he was about to say. Ren, confused, wanted his cousin to continue but saw that everyone was watching him with wide, attentive eyes. They almost seemed as if they were telling him to be quiet about something. Whatever the secret was, it piqued the teen’s curiosity, yet he knew he would find out nothing else about it now. He would have to ask Kanji when they were alone. Maybe then he would tell Ren what this was about. So, he let the conversation continue at its own pace.

“Shh! Kanji, we aren’t supposed to talk about that!” Yosuke warned, trying to keep his voice down so Ren couldn’t hear him. Of course, it didn’t work, but the musician was completely oblivious at the best of times.

Mr. Teddie wasn’t any better. “Yeah, Kanji! Keep your trap shut!”

“Shit, sorry! It just sounded like… you know. We can talk about it when Naoto gets into town,” Kanji finished lamely, trying to fix his eyes on anything but his friends.

“And Senpai,” Rise sadly muttered, hoping no one would hear. Unfortunately, with Aiya’s being mostly empty, the entire table heard her. Her head snapped up when she realized what she had said, and tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry, I…”

Everyone remained silent, staring at the table, or the ground, or the wall, anywhere but anyone else. They all had a wistful look in their gaze as if they were missing pieces of themselves and they knew it. What they didn’t know was how to get it back. Yukiko was the saddest of them all, her eyes becoming almost emotionless; Rise was almost just as downtrodden, but her being comforted by her fiancée helped. This intrigued Ren greatly, but something told him it was a tough subject for them.

Even so, he found himself asking, “Who’s ‘Senpai?’”

Though most wouldn’t see it, Ren noticed the involuntary twitch from everyone. Slowly, they all were finally able to look at one another, but were instead silently debating whether they should tell the teen about ‘Senpai’ or not, and if they did, who would tell him. The tension in the air was palpable, almost as thick as the steam from the owner’s cooking, but it was blown away like smoke drifting away on a breeze as a blue-haired young woman appeared at the table.

“Haven’t seen you all here in a while,” the waitress named Aika greeted before strictly moving to business. “May I take your orders?”

Suddenly, as if nothing had happened, everyone made their orders and turned to any other conversation that didn't have to do with their previous one. Ren sighed in relief and disappointment. After all, he was curious about this ‘Senpai,’ but he didn’t like how they had only reunited for a few minutes and a dour air fell upon them quickly. Giving himself one more chance to find a bit of information without returning to the depressing atmosphere, Ren glanced at Kanji.

His cousin watched him sternly, carefully, as if he was deliberating whether to tell the teen what he wanted to know. There was a touch of concern within the bigger man, too, something Ren had seen often, but it was never so intently directed at someone. Kanji shifted his eyes towards the group to make sure they were still busy before beckoning Ren closer.

“Just don’t let them know I told ya, deal?” Seeing Ren nod, Kanji cupped his hand around his mouth and the frizzy-haired teen’s ear, whispering, “He was our friend.”

The word ‘was’ hung in the air with the restaurant’s steamy haze, punctuating something that Ren couldn’t quite make out at the present. As he pulled away from his cousin, time froze around him.

**_I am thou, thou art I…_ **

**_Thou hast acquired a fractured vow._ **

**_It shall tremble the pillars of camaraderie that empowers thy Persona._ **

**_With the birth of the Jester Arcana, thou hast rediscovered the path that shall uncover new clues and return thy true bonds…_ **

Whereas the announcement of a new confidant always seemed to never take the former leader of the Phantom Thieves by surprise, this one did. Everything returned to normal, Ren’s eyes now wide as a chill ran up his spine. Two things came to mind after Lavenza’s voice disappeared: first, this bond felt unnatural, almost unholy, like it wasn’t supposed to have happened, but it did; and second, a familiar feeling came to him, something he hadn’t felt since seeing Akechi for the last time. Out of curiosity, Ren called upon Arsène, activating his Third Eye.

What he saw took him by surprise.

A blue card floated above Kanji's head. Ren recognized it immediately as the Emperor’s Arcana, attributing it to his friend and fellow thief, Yusuke. It shined like those who were part of the Phantom Thieves, so much so, that Ren knew his cousin, Kanji Tatsumi, was also a Persona user. Sweat reappeared on his brow.

Acting on his gut, the former thief turned towards the rest of his friends, noticing everyone, from Mr. Teddie to Yosuke, had their own shimmering tarot card floating above their head. There was the Magician Arcana, Hanamura Yosuke (Ren wondered offhandedly if Morgana felt any bond between them); the Chariot Arcana, Satonaka Chie; the High Priestess Arcana, Amagi Yukiko; the Lovers Arcana, Kujikawa Rise: and lastly, the Star Arcana, Mr. Teddie.

It all unnerved Ren, making him wonder, _Are there any other Persona users in Inaba? Just… who are they talking about? Why do they even have Personas?_

This shocked the former thief so much, that Kanji, after ordering, had finally taken noticed. He shook his cousin's arm, bringing him back from wherever he was. Arching his eyebrow, the former punk asked, “You okay, Ren-Ren?”

Gulping, and noticing that everyone’s eyes were on him, Ren called upon his inner calm. Taking a deep breath internally, he waved everyone off, smiling and tugging at his shirt collar. “Yeah, just a little stuffy in here. That’s all.”

“We can keep the front door open for you,” Aika suggested politely before becoming a waitress again. “Now, may I have your order?”

Nodding his head, Ren told her what he wanted. As she collected the menus, the group started talking again as if nothing happened. Everything was normal, so normal that the frizzy-haired teen couldn’t ask any further questions on the previous subjects. He decided it would be best to join in and ask someone about everything later, specifically Igor – if he had the chance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ren saw Kanji glancing at him, not buying his story, before returning his full attention to his friends. It appeared as if the former thief had the first person he would question.


	6. Aeon, Rank 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Many people pray to be kept out of unexpected problems. Some people pray to be able to confront and overcome them."_
> 
> _~ Toba Beta_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, y'all keep hitting it out of the park with the whole being fans thing - gotta admit, I like it. While I write this for fun, getting recognition and conversing with people on here is a bit of an extra motivator, so thank y'all!
> 
> Now, I'll see that this chapter is a little shorter than the others, but it sets up the stage for the coming chapters and everything else that's coming up. I know y'all are going to enjoy this! Some of ya have pointed out some grammatical issues, so please, if any of those persist or there are some continuation issues with canon or the fic itself, then let me know can I can do some edits. Luckily, at the same time, the current schedule will keep course since I have pre-written stuff and will have a lot more free time in my hands in the near future because field season is ending!... Good for my free time, bad for my wallet...
> 
> Anyway, seeing the kudos, the bookmarks, and the comments makes me happy and it's great to meet so many of y'all on here! Keep up the conversing, the reading, and staying healthy!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

The squeaking of shoes on wooden floors echoed rhythmically throughout Yasogami’s small gym. Back and forth, back and forth, the noise rose in pitch on one side of the court before swinging – much like a pendulum – to the other side. Shiho became more and more used to the sound after she had decided to join the high school’s small, blossoming woman’s basketball club.

Practice had been cut short to just a quick pick-up game by the players since it was raining outside. Soon, both the boys’ and girls’ soccer clubs would enter the gym, readying their goals for their own practice. It was a minor inconvenience, but Shiho was glad for the excuse for a shorter playtime today. After all, such dreary weather was perfect for coffee.

She passed the ball to one of her teammates before glancing towards Ren, who had surprised her by coming to watch practice. Morgana, unsurprisingly, was by his side. Many of the basketball players had already stopped to pet the black cat. He seemed to happily welcome the attention, while his owner received only hushed rumors and uncertain stares.

Meanwhile, the frizzy-haired teen Shiho had slowly gotten to know over the past couple of weeks seemed to be trapped in his own thoughts. Only a few days earlier, she had seen that same expression when they met for coffee after he had dinner with his cousin, Mr. Teddie, and their friends. Offhandedly, she wondered what could have been on his mind before she was snapped back to the present by the ball being returned to her.

“Come on, Suzui!” the captain called from courtside, trying to wake her up.

“S-sorry!” she stuttered before dribbling the ball.

Shiho would be the first to admit that she was less skilled at basketball than volleyball. But the pacing of bouncing an orange, rubber ball brought a certain calming rhythm to the former-volleyball player that a rough, white ball never could.

Focusing on the game, for the time being, Shiho planted her feet firmly on the ground, readying her shot. At the last second, she faked-out the girl guarding her, passing the basketball to one of her teammates who was right under the basket. Once she had it, she bounced it once before making a smooth layup and winning the pick-up game for Shiho’s team.

The captain blew the whistle, signaling the game’s end. “Nice job, Suzui, Asahi! That’s game, hit the showers!”

The team nodded their heads before following the club’s captain towards the locker rooms. Save Shiho, who walked up to Ren. Behind her, she heard a few choice words from some of her teammates, but she decided to ignore them. After all, the dark-haired teen knew what they said was false anyway.

“Hey, Ren-kun,” she greeted with a friendly smile.

Wherever he was, the young man was brought back from there with a simple mentioning of his name. The blank expression he wore instantly turned to a small grin. If it were someone who didn’t know him, then they would say that nothing seemed to be troubling Ren. Thanks to having gotten to know him, and what Ann had told her, Shiho knew otherwise.

He waved. “Shiho-chan, that was a great last-minute pass.”

“You saw that?”

“Of course. You’re pretty good, an all-around athlete.”

“Thanks!” she replied gratefully. She noticed Ren trying to hide whatever troubled him. Before he could lead her away from those thoughts, Shiho asked, “Are you okay? It looked like something was bugging you.”

“No, I’m okay. Just thinking out the homework Teddie-sensei gave us,” Ren answered smoothly.

Leaning on one hip, Shiho raised a challenging eyebrow. “Oh, really? So, what are the answers to the math homework?”

“Trick question, we didn’t receive any math homework today,” he replied with a victorious smirk. “Teddie-sensei went off-track talking about Amagi-san. I’ll make sure to tell her about that next time we meet.”

Shiho puffed her cheeks, realizing her bluff was called easily. Any other tricks she would try to play would be blocked with equal ease from the charismatic teenager. She had to admit that he could talk a Tokyo businessman out of his last yen, but she also had her own tricks. Beating around the bush or playing her own cheeky cards wouldn’t break through the barrier Ren had set up. So, she switched tactics.

Shiho came closer to Ren before poking him on his forehead and brusquely saying, “Okay, there’s obviously something going on behind that analytical stare. I know it. I’m just as persistent as Ann, so I won’t let this go. Plus, you know you can tell me what’s wrong, right?”

The change in approach, much to Shiho’s relief, seemed to have had the desired effect. Ren’s eyes widened in surprise, his tongue caught in his throat as he tried to think of a response to her insinuation. The frizzy-haired teen was good at deflecting vague questions or paying attention to even the smallest of details, but when confronted, he would clam up. He couldn't find any words as he tried to think of a witty retort or a way to explain his situation without revealing too much to Shiho. Instead, he sighed. Morgana mewed pleasingly to his side. It almost sounded like a laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, she beat me, Morgana,” Ren admitted with a sigh before addressing Shiho. “Well, it’s just that… you see, Tatsu… um…”

The tongue-tied teen’s words still failed him, even as he thought about the proper way to relay his thoughts. His shoulders sagging told Shiho that he would need some time to do that. Much to Ren’s relief, she took a step back and flashed him a comforting smile.

“I need to shower and change,” she informed him, giving him an out for the time being. “But after that, I could use a little help shopping for some school supplies at Junes. Want to come along? I’ll buy you a drink.”

He smirked in response, nodding his head gratefully. “Sounds good to me. I’ll wait for you by the gate.”

Hands behind her back, Shiho started walking backwards towards the girls’ locker room. “Perfect. I’ll meet you there. Oh, and don’t think this lets you off the hook, okay?”

Ren chuckled. “I know. See you there.”

With that, Morgana jumped into his owner’s school bag before the teenager started walking towards the gym’s exit. Shiho watched him leave before she made her way to the showers, dodging the incoming soccer players and even ducking under one of the goals they carried in from the storage room.

* * *

Not long after they had parted ways, Shiho rejoined Ren at Yasogami’s gate. Morgana jumped out of Ren’s bag and mewed a farewell, stating how he wanted to explore the town while he hung out with Shiho.

The two teenagers journeyed to Junes to shop for what Shiho needed. Apparently, the frizzy-haired teen realized, she hadn't been entirely truthful. They found themselves wandering aimlessly around the superstore after buying drinks at the food court. Of course, they ventured to the school supplies section, but only stayed there for a short amount of time. After that, Shiho kept leading her friend around, hoping he would say his piece to her naturally.

Apparently, that would require some coaxing on her part.

“You know, you still haven’t told me what’s going on.”

It was blunt. To the point. But as Shiho had learned, sometimes that was the best way to get to Ren. His entire game, when conversing, was controlling the conversation by his means. When he was asked directly, then there was a chance someone could catch him off-guard. At least, that was what Shiho had thought might be the case.

For a few moments, Ren thought to himself, wondering how vague he could be to satisfy his friend’s interest. “Just something that I’ve learned about my old group of friends here.”

This caught Shiho’s attention.

“What? Have some of them been treating you badly because of what everyone is saying about you at school?”

“No, no, that’s not…”

Ren tried to clear the insinuation away with a frantic wave of his hands. Somehow, this girl knew how to get him flustered. Yet it was something that the frizzy-haired teen was thinking about. Even those people at Yasogami who he would call, on good days, strong acquaintances seemed to stare daggers into him, thinking their chances at making it into a good university were ruined because of a delinquent’s presence at their school. Never would he admit it, but it reopened the pain he still carried with him from his time at Shujin where his reputation never really did recover thanks to his probation.

“Well, maybe it is a little bit.”

The girl who was so confident and friendly with her teammates only a few hours ago now felt a hint of sadness for him. Of course, she had joined the basketball team to make new friends, but other than the respect she had earned from them in her short time at Yasogami, the only person she could call a ‘friend’ was Ren. So, every time she saw him retreating into himself, much like an Olympic diver, she dove into his mind to pull him right back.

However, she felt her pep talks may have been just a bit overused. So, she took a different approach. “Tell me about it.”

This took Ren by surprise. His wide eyes turned to Shiho who was flashing him a gentle, understanding smile. “What?”

“Tell me about it.”

They had wandered down the escalator at this point towards Junes’s electronic department. Static seemingly hummed in the air, ready to be discharged at a simple touch, as the pair’s feet carried them through the maze of fridges and stoves into the field of gaming devices and televisions that heavily outnumbered the store’s shoppers.

Even that wasn't enough to distract Ren or Shiho (the former preferring books, the latter preferring sports) from the current direction of their conversation.

To the frizzy-haired teen, it was a breath of fresh air, one that he didn’t realize he needed. Over the course of the last year, he had served as the confidant for so many people but rarely had they really asked him about his own troubles. Even when they did, he shrugged them off, preferring to help those who needed his help rather than the other way around. Now, Shiho – one of his newest and most unexpected confidants – was asking him the same thing they did.

But in a way they didn’t.

He couldn’t find the ability to deny her.

“Well, I...”

He stopped, realizing that his words were about to tumble out of his mouth like uninformed gibberish as the thought of being able to tell Shiho _anything_ brought up – in Ren’s mind – _everything_. Her command was so vague and to the point, that he didn’t know where to start. It was something unfamiliar to him, wanting to tell someone all his thoughts ranging from outrageous nightmares to the simple pressures of school.

It caused Ren to pause and briefly think, _Just what is the Aeon Arcana supposed to represent?_

He took a deep breath before beginning, willing his flooding mind behind a mental dam. “It just seems there’s something wrong with my friends – well, my cousin Tatsu’s friends. I can’t put my finger on it, but they seem to be hiding something from me and I don’t know what.” Ren shrugged nonchalantly. “Just something that’s been on my mind today.”

“And you want to fix it, don’t you?” Shiho added. A much-needed addendum.

Ren smirked. “You know me that well already, Shiho-chan.”

“I’ve been told I have a friendly face,” she replied coyly.

This earned a chuckle from the pair. “That may be the case,” Ren continued, taking a turn towards some of the bigger televisions Junes had. “No matter, you’re right. I always want to help my friends when I can. When I can’t, I tend to draw a little into myself trying to solve the problem for them.”

“Sounds like you think of yourself as a protagonist, helping everyone you can.”

“And if I said I did?”

“Then you would sound conceited,” Shiho replied quickly. Her tone showed she was joking, but Ren would be lying if he said it didn’t make sense.

Maybe he didn’t think of himself as a protagonist, but in how everyone treated him in Tokyo, he may well have been.

“We’re going off-point again,” the dark-haired teen caught herself, though she didn't mind the quick divergence from their conversation. It seemed to lighten the air between them. “I think you should ask someone else for help occasionally.”

“You might be right,” Ren admitted with a smirk before adding glibly, “Are you volunteering?”

She giggled, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Maybe.”

For whatever reason, her reaction caused the frizzy-haired teen’s small smile to widen happily.

As they were passing a row of flat-screen TVs that were relatively outdated, Ren noticed a sticker that read ‘On Sale!!!’ peeling away at the top right corner of the TV screen. Acting on impulse, the teenager brushed his hand over the sticker to put it back into place.

That was when his hand fell through the screen like water, causing ripples to shoot off in different directions across the television.


	7. Aeon, Rank 3.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery."_
> 
> _~ Anais Nin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, would you like at the time...
> 
> It's Persona O'clock!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

Before he could even remove his hand – or react to part of his body falling into the television – Ren felt himself being pulled through the screen from the ‘other side.’

“What the…?” the frizzy-haired teen muttered, only slightly surprised by the turn of events.

After all, once he had taken down a false god, traveled the cognitive subways of Tokyo, and captured the secret, perverted desires of so many, barely anything would surprise the former leader of the Phantom Thieves. Although that was the case, he almost cursed like Ryuji from the surprise but controlled himself.

“Ren!” Shiho yelped in surprise, taking a shocked step back from her friend.

He managed to turn his head around to see that she was starting to panic. Her eyes were wide while her body shook. Shiho never saw what lay in the corrupt hearts of those around her, so of course, she would be taken aback by this. Even so, Ren was surprised that she was as composed as she appeared – hopefully she acted the same.

“Shiho.”

The calm way in which he said her name brought her slowly imploding mind back to reality, snapping her to attention.

“Take a deep breath,” he continued with a soft, but stern tone. Once she had followed his instructions, he added, “Now, something has my hand and I can’t break free. I need you to help me out, can you do that?”

“R-right!” she replied with a terse nod of her head.

What followed was not what he meant in the slightest.

Thinking on her toes as she would in the normal world, Shiho ran behind the television, hoping to find the source of Ren’s entrapment there. In the back of his mind, the captive cackled like a Jack Frost (he could almost feel its icy presence), a part of him heavily amused by the dark-haired teen’s attempt at rescuing him. On the outside, he remained composed, trying hard not to crack a smile and failing. But as his lips started smirking, he felt a jerk pull his shoulder through the screen. He couldn’t keep resisting for much longer.

Shiho searched every-which-way behind the television, but only found bundled up cords – offhandedly she noticed the one to this particular television wasn’t even plugged in. “There’s nothing back here, Ren! And the TV is unplugged!”

 _That’s interesting_ , he thought to himself before jumping out of his mind. “Thought as much. Okay, can you help pull me out? I think whatever this is is loosening their grip on me. If I get one good tug, then I think I’ll be free.”

At least, that was what he hoped. He did feel the claws, or whatever the sharp appendages gripping him were, letting him go, if only a little. Hopefully, that was because of his struggling.

Shiho jumped from behind the television and quickly went to grab Ren’s waist, not even paying attention to the close proximity they were to each other.

“Alright, I have you!”

“Good. Pull on three,” Ren commanded. He felt Shiho’s head nod against his back, so he gave a tug, hoping to loosen the other-sider’s grip just a bit more. Feeling it slacken, he started the countdown.

“One…”

The pressure on Ren’s arm lessened.

“Two…”

Even more, they just needed a swift tug and he’d be free.

“…three!”

With as much force as possible, the other-sider tugged at Ren’s arm in with extreme force, reeling in the frizzy-haired teen and the girl holding on to him into the television. Minutes later, a salesman walked by, leading a family to the other side of the store to see the new electronics that Junes had recently added to their catalog. They didn’t even notice that, only a few short moments ago, two teenagers were fighting to stay on the same plane of existence that the store called home.

* * *

They landed on the other side roughly. Ren’s head collided with – what he hoped to be – the ground while Shiho landed bodily on top of him. The double-whiplash earned two pained groans from the former leader of the Phantom Thieves.

It took a moment for Shiho to realize what had happened, when she had she quickly jumped off Ren squeaking, “I’m sorry!”

She lent her friend a hand, helping him to his feet. Graciously he accepted it as he rubbed the back of his head with his free appendage, trying to calm the angry bump that was already forming beneath his frizzy hair.

Shiho noticed and asked, “Are you okay?”

Ren removed his hand, examining it. Satisfied there was no blood, he assumed that he would be alright.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured her, making sure to keep Shiho calm. After all, without even looking around he knew they weren’t in Inaba anymore. “How about you?”

Shiho breathed a sigh of relief before forcing a weak smile, one that hid the fear that was slowly creeping upon her. “I am too, but, where are we?”

As if on cue, the pair were snapped into their new setting, finally able to see the details of the world they had stumbled into. First, Ren noticed that behind Shiho was a gold version of the same television they came in through. Although the screen was blank, it gave them a modicum of comfort, keeping the shadow of worry at bay for the time being. Yet where there was one step forward, there were two steps back.

Around the television, there was only a thick fog that blocked the vision of anything beyond the electronic portal – save a broken off tiled path that formed a circle which Ren and Shiho stood. Their eyes followed the zig-zagging tile as it coalesced into a pathway that continued into the fog opposite the broken path. While curiosity prickled at the back of Ren’s neck, he knew that he didn’t have any of his Personas with him. Thus, if there were shadows ahead, he wouldn’t be able to face them.

That was another thing that took the former leader of the Phantom Thieves by surprise:

This world, whatever it was, had the same feeling, the same _weight_ in the air as Mementos, the Palaces, and Tokyo when the Phantom Thieves fought Yaldabaoth.

Somehow, Ren and Shiho were in the Metaverse.

The latter came to the former’s side, staring into the white, low-hanging clouds surrounding them, repeating her question less assuredly. “W-where are we?”

“I believe I can answer that better than my Master could,” a deep voice interrupted.

Ren closed his eyes as he smirked, and a wave of relief crashed upon him (along with the familiarity of chaotic rebellion). He knew the owner of that voice all too well.

Behind, just in front of the television, was the floating phantom image of the Gentleman Thief, Arsène. His wings spread out, darkening the world around them and erasing the fog from view. Oddly enough, the world seemed brighter now with the dark feathers floating down from the Persona’s wings. As always, his crooked grin cast an eerie glow as his eyes peered down at Shiho and Ren.

He bowed shortly. “A pleasure, Miss Suzui, to finally meet you. I wish to express my condolences for dealing with the ‘Utter Bastard of Lust,’ as the Chariot calls him, in such a slow manner.”

Shiho, at this point, stood stock still, unable to understand what was happening in front of her. The words that Arsène spoke went over her head as she tried to comprehend why an angel-demon thing was talking to them. Furthermore, she didn't understand why he had said ‘master.’

“I think you may have scared her, Arsène,” Ren explained nonchalantly, flashing a well-meaning grin at the Pillager of Twilight. “After all, she never knew about the metaverse.”

“M-metaverse?” the stunned girl stammered out, surprised that her friend knew the creature in front of them. Did he make a pact with a demon? “W-what’s going on?”

“Too much. My presence brings ill tidings, I am afraid,” Arsène rose a claw to his chin in thought. “But ‘twas not my will to bring you here Master, nor your friend.”

“Ah, so you pulled us through the TV,” Ren surmised casually.

“Indeed, though I will explain myself later. For now, I believe you must speak of what happened to you during your time with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.”

“Phantom Thieves?” Shiho parroted, starting to put the pieces together as she turned to Ren. His expression was hidden behind his glasses, unreadable. There was a reason for that, and Shiho felt that she would be told soon. “Ren…?”

The former leader of the Phantom Thieves sighed lightly. “I was going to break it to her easy, Arsène.”

As if it were possible, the Persona’s grin grew wider, one that held no malice, but glibly knew what buttons to push to elicit the reactions and scenarios he desired. “Yet not fast enough, leader.”

“You’re just digging a grave for me at this point.”

“Better to move forward than back,” Arsène countered.

“Better to teach than to lecture.”

The Persona crossed his arms. “Touché. Still, it is too late to turn back now.”

“You’re right, but I want an explanation for what has happened as soon as I explain everything.”

“My, my, but you are getting cocky with making such bargains.”

“ _Deal_.”

“As you wish. Now talk to her before she becomes lost to her delusions.”

Arsène nodded towards the girl who was watching the exchange with morbid interest like she was partaking in another deal with the devil. Yet, for some reason, she felt she was ready for whatever Ren had to tell her, even though she could take a guess. So, with a deep breath and steadying herself, she cut the frizzy-haired teen off with her own voice.

“You’re the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Aren’t you, Ren?”

An hour passed before Ren had finished his retelling of the events that had unfolded during his stint as a Phantom Thief. After he had finished, he expected a million questions to be thrown his way, especially about Ann – who he, of course, didn't leave out. The unreadable expression on Shiho’s face told him that his words were being contemplated, but how? He didn't know and was left to wait with Arsène as they tried to read her.

Eventually, Shiho’s lips curled into a small smile, one that – if Ren was right – beamed with gratitude. Maybe it was the way she squinted her eyes, or how she held her arms in front of her. Whatever it was, the Phantom Thief’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, unprepared for this sort of response.

“I always knew something was up with Ann and you,” she admitted, placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “She always said Ryuji, you, and her were busy helping the world. I didn’t know what she meant by that, but now… well, I was right to think that whatever she was doing would be bigger than I could imagine. So, thank you. For watching over Ann, for saving everyone at Shujin, for everything.”

Shiho followed her show of appreciation with a short bow. Again, Ren wasn't prepared for this response. Every time he had had to explain the Phantom Thieves to his confidants – save Sae and Sojiro – they had caught him and understood, just as Shiho had. This time was different as they were nowhere near completing their deal or more than just friends. How could she understand so easily and accept just the same way?

“You’re… welcome,” Ren settled on, playing with a lock of his black bangs. “You actually took that a lot better than I thought you would.”

Shiho made a sound of amusement. “Well, I’m here so it’s easier to accept and I can’t be mad at you after all you did. There are still some things I would like to know, but those can wait once we’re out of here.”

While surprising, the teenage girl’s determination was not unwelcome. If anything, it gave Ren more confidence in the situation and made him wonder if Shiho would have been a Phantom Thief if she had stayed at Shujin. But that was in the past, they would have to focus on the present. They were in the Metaverse and Ren was now Joker again, more than ready to take up his mantle once more.

He nodded. “Right.”

Their attention returned towards Arsène, who hummed gratefully at the end of the conversation. “She accepts what she sees before her without a second thought. My, she would have made quite the Thief, Master.”

“I agree, but we aren’t here to recruit new members, are we?” Ren ventured easily, knowing the answer to that question would be a negative.

“No. You are here because the Master of the Velvet Room has decreed it. For what purpose, I am still unsure. We are in the vale between reality and dream, here. Closer to the Velvet Room than you could ever imagine. Yet we are not to find it here,” Arsène explained cryptically, his words confusing Ren and meaning little to Shiho. Before they could voice their concerns, the persona vanished and appeared behind the pair, their eyes following him. “Use your Third Eye, Master. There is much beyond this fog that you must see.”

Ren nodded, quickly activating his hidden ability.

To his surprise, the fog disappeared, leaving behind a distorted image of the Metaverse. What he could see was the path leading forward into what appeared to be a forest. Fragments of the sky and ground broke around it, shattering as they slowly drifted into nothingness and this world fell apart. Whatever was keeping it together was strong. If a strong enough disturbance was to happen, this portion of the Metaverse would only be a brief blip in the cognitive world’s long existence. Something stood out to Ren, however. He picked it up almost instantly as his ears searched endlessly for a familiar noise.

“You cannot hear a thing,” Arsène confirmed as he too stared into the distance.

Shiho for her part squinted her eyes, trying to make out something from the fog, but to no avail. A cold shiver was sent down her spine. Only horror movies made use of a line like that. She looked around her, half-expecting something to jump out of the low-hanging clouds at any moment. “You make that sound like it’s a good thing.”

“It is,” Ren affirmed, closing his Third Eye as his vision was once again clouded. “That means there are no shadows in this world.”

“Correct,” Arsène stated. “Deep within the wood, there is a presence that is exhibiting truly extraordinary power. I believe that is why Master Igor has brought us back together.”

“Then we will be safe until we reach that point.”

The Pillager of Twilight nodded. “You will only have my support, but not my dagger, as it were.”

“And what do we do when we reach that point?”

“I am not sure,” Arsène admitted. “Master Igor was quite vague about the power, only saying that we are to follow it. After that, all will be laid before us. He also stated that it would require more than searching through a foggy forest to find it.”

Ren shook his head as he sighed. “Of course. It’s never that easy.”

“And now you know why Miss Suzui is involved, yes?”

The use of her name caught Shiho off-guard. “What do you mean?”

“He’s saying that you’re supposed to help me. I don’t know how, but I guess we’ll figure that out along the way,” the Phantom Thief stated. He didn’t want Shiho to get involved. Even with the absence of shadows, the Metaverse could still be a dangerous place. Especially without a navigator. He would have to bring Morgana with him the next time. “More importantly, I don’t want to put you in any danger. If you don’t want to help…”

“You think you can just leave me behind?” Shiho cut off Ren with a nudge of her elbow to his ribs. “Plus, you’d be lonely if I wasn’t here with you. It’s a mystery, and I’m just as curious as you. You can’t get rid of me that easily, Ren-kun.”

Ren managed a grin. “Didn’t think so. Then welcome to the Phantom Thieves, Shiho.”

“Glad to be aboard,” she replied cheerfully.

“Good. We are of one mind now. I hope we can solve this mystery soon, for who knows what will happen if we do not?” the Pillager of Twilight regained their attention as he floated over to the Metaverse television, touching it with one of his nails to turn it back on. A swirling portal of white and black screens appeared. Without even asking, Ren and Shiho knew this was their way out. “As of now, however, we cannot proceed further without assistance from your reality. Speak to the Star and the Emperor, they will assist you. 'Mention the TV World,’ is what Master Igor instructed me to tell you. That will render their aid available.”

“So, they are involved in this somehow,” Ren muttered to himself. Before Shiho could ask what he was talking about, he waved away the thought, saying, “I’ll talk to them, and then we’ll return, Arsène.”

“Good, I shall await your arrival. Until then, farewell.”

Ren nodded his head, making his way to the television. Shiho, confused by the last portion of the conversation, waved hurriedly to Arsène before joining her friend in front of the swirling portal. They stuck their hands through at the same time, feeling a force tugging at their beings. Almost instantly, the swirling black and white pulled them through the screen, returning them to Junes.


	8. Jester, Rank 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You can't handle the truth!"_
> 
> _~ Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessep_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're making some headway... this chapter should explain more about what the Jester Arcana means in this story...
> 
> Buuuuuuut, I also know that it'll get all of you asking more questions! Tit for tat, I'm afraid. Company secrets and all. I'm still keeping up with a lot of my writing, so no way will I be stopping a regular schedule anytime soon! Unlike a lotta writers on here, I don't do NaNoWriMo anymore - mainly because I'm not as big a fan of writing in crunch time and not at a point where I wanna write my own stuff. So, fanfics work fine for me!
> 
> As a side note, I noticed a mistake while editing this chapter where I wrote "Meatverse" instead of "Metaverse." I got a chuckle out of Chie mishearing that at some point. Betcha y'all did, too, just now!
> 
> Keep on with the comments, the kudos, and the bookmarks - it fuels me...
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

“So, run this by me again: you and Suzui went into the Metaverse? Through a TV? And that’s why you need to meet with your cousin?”

Morgana had been pestering Ren about the details of his trip to the Metaverse. The pair reunited that day not long after he and Shiho had parted ways.

They had spent a little more time at the Junes Food Court, where the dark-haired teens had spent their time discussing what had happened.

Shiho had asked several questions. Ren had given her several answers.

Once she was satisfied, they had departed. Both of them needed to think about the current situation. But they had agreed they would meet at the Junes Food Court when they needed to talk about the Metaverse or venture into it. Not long after they parted ways, Ren ran into Morgana.

They had to take a long walk along the Samegawa to talk about what had happened.

The next day, he called up Kanji to meet up with him on Sunday. For all intents and purposes, they had arranged for dinner at Aiya’s. As far as Kanji knew, the two were meeting up for a dinner to catch up one-on-one. But, per Arsène’s advice, Ren planned to ask Kanji – the Emperor – about what his Persona meant. He needed to know how his cousin was involved with the Metaverse.

A few days had passed by normally and before Ren knew it, it was Sunday. Now, Morgana and Ren waited outside Aiya’s for Kanji. The frizzy-haired teenager had finished reciting his story for the cat while they waited. At the same time, Ren had finished sending Shiho a text about meeting later in the week.

Putting his phone away, Ren confirmed Morgana’s question.

“Yes to all of the above,” he sighed. “When I used my Third Eye the other day at Aiya’s, everyone there had a tarot card floating above their head.”

“Like the cards that floated above your confidants’ and the gang’s heads?” Morgana interrupted.

“Exactly. My cousin’s was the Emperor, like Yusuke’s. Since I don’t see tarot cards floating above everyone’s heads, then that means everyone at the restaurant was a confidant, or...”

“...they’re Persona users, too,” Morgana finished, continuing to intercede Ren’s points.

The teen gave the cat a side-glance and smirk. “You know I can finish my stories without you meowing, right?”

“Yeah, but then they wouldn’t deliver the finishing blow like I do!”

Morgana’s smug grin could be read even when he was still a cat. Ren rolled his eyes.

“Right. But I think they’re all Persona users. I mean, what are the odds that everyone there could be a confidant to the same person. At the same time, I'm curious about who this person could be.”

“You mean this ‘senpai’ they were talking about?”

“Again, right on the money. I think Tatsu can clear a lot of this up for us, but it seemed like a sore topic. We may need to tread carefully.” Ren paused. “You know, he has a liking for cute things, especially animals. You should see him with Teddie-sensei in his costume, it’s a bit ridiculous. Anyway, I was thinking that bringing you along might put him more at ease.”

“Ah, so I’m playing the eye-candy, am I?” Morgana snickered as he jumped out of Ren’s bag. “Looks like it’s time to strut my stuff, huh?”

Ren chuckled. “You’re acting like Ann, now.”

“W-well... a gentleman would show appreciation to such a meow-velous girl. After all, imitation is the greatest form of... something or another.”

“Whatever you say, Mona.”

“Ren-Ren!”

On cue, the pair turned to see a familiar blond man with glasses walking towards them from across the street. He wore his street clothes, forgoing his work uniform at the end of what likely had turned into a busy day. Like many of the pictures Ren had seen him in, Kanji wore a purple shirt with a small skull embroidered on the clothing’s chest pocket with matching black jeans. In a few quick strides, his cousin had made it to the bench Ren and Morgana sat at, a testament to the Tatsumi’s size that he had had ever since his middle school years.

“Sorry to keep you two waiting,” he apologized with a wave of his hand. “Had a rush order on stuffed animals come in at the last minute at the shop. Man, I need to hire some helpin’ hands.”

“No worries, Tatsu, we weren’t waiting long. Right, Morgana?” Ren reassured.

Kanji turned towards the black cat who meowed at him. “Oh hey, l’il guy. H-hey, Ren-Ren?”

“Yes?” the teen replied knowingly.

“D-do you mind if I... ya know, pet him?”

“Sure, go for it.”

With a tentative hand, Kanji reached out to softly stroke Morgana’s head. In response, the cat sniffed the man’s fingers. Seemingly displeased, he hissed briefly before swiping at the oddly offending digits, missing by just a hair.

Kanji sighed, while Ren chuckled internally. “Dammit... every time. I swear I’m not _that_ scary...”

“You always did have bad luck with animals, huh? Glad to see some things haven’t changed. Like Aiya’s. Speaking of, I think I hear a rice bowl calling my name. You?”

“Definitely! You gotta pay for yourself this time though, Ren-Ren. Ya only get one welcome home on this paycheck.”

The family members laughed as they entered the establishment as Morgana successfully hid within the confines of Ren’s bag once again.

They sat at the bar, occupying three of the stools with Ren setting his bag on the stool next to him. The owner behind the counter took their orders and started cooking them up before his customers’ eyes.

Some small talk and one peek from Morgana later, the two men had meaty rice bowls in front of them. Ren snuck Morgana food every now and then.

Once they had had their fill, they satisfyingly placed their chopsticks atop their bowls – all three of them satisfied with their meals.

“Man, it’s good to have ya back, Ren-Ren. It’s been too long since you, me, and Kari have done this.” Kanji, after speaking Akari’s nickname, asked, “Where she at today?”

“Hanging out with Nana-chan, I’m afraid. Couldn’t make it,” Ren answered as he sat up, folding his elbows on the bar and leaning against them. “Besides, figure I could catch you up on my time in Tokyo.”

“Oh yeah! Guess ya do need to give me some of the details. So, what went down?”

Ren shrugged it off nonchalantly. “Nothing special, but I’ll say a couple of things happened that were a little out of the ordinary.”

This caught Kanji’s attention. While he wasn’t the sharpest of Ren’s family members, he still had his wits about him at times. Besides, he had held his own suspicions about what his cousin had been doing in Tokyo.

“Outta the ordinary, huh...? The Phantom Thieves, then?” Kanji asked directly in a hushed tone, deciding not to dodge the issue. “The way you acted last time here told me somethin’ was up. Am I right?”

Ren nodded without hesitation. “Thought you were watching a little more closely than usual there, Tatsu.”

Kanji chuckled humorlessly. “For once, you mean. Yeah, Naoto has been rubbin’ off on me, I guess.”

“Her lessons were useful during my time in Tokyo.” Ren continued lowly. Having noticed that hardly anyone else was in Aiya’s, he figured they could keep talking. “But yes, as a Phantom Thief. The leader, actually.”

At this, Kanji stood from his stool in shock. “The leader!? You led them!?”

Ren pressed his finger to his lips, hushing his cousin loudly and trying to calm him down. Morgana rolled his eyes, unsurprised at the turn of events. Realizing he had reacted a little more than he wanted to, Kanji turned his head every direction, heaving a relieved sigh when he also realized no one else was eating at Aiya’s and the owner was in the back talking to his daughter.

Kanji sat back on his stool.

“That was a close call,” Morgana muttered.

Ren ignored him. “Yes, I was the leader, and there’s something else. Before I tell you everything, I need to know, do you have a Persona?”

At this, Kanji watched Ren in disbelief before his stare turned serious and his mouth set into a hard line. “Rise was right. What happened, Ren-Ren?”

Figuring he had to do this get the information he wanted from Kanji, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts took a deep breath and started from the beginning. He told his cousin about his first day at school, Ryuji, Ann, and Kamoshida, even mentioning Morgana and answering some of his cousin’s questions about the cat. Then, he continued, retelling everything about Yusuke’s mentor, Makoto’s issue with Kaneshiro, Futaba’s locking herself away from the world, Haru’s father’s death, and, finally, the supposed downfall of the Phantom Thieves and Ren slaying a god.

In the end, he briefly brought up the Velvet Room, however, Ren noticed a change in demeanor within Kanji. His shoulders hunched and he looked away from his cousin with a dim expression.

“That place. You’re like... Senpai, then?” Kanji finally remarked. “That’s incredible. The story, you, killing a god. Almost exactly like us, ‘cept without the TV.”

Ren took a deep breath. It was time.

“That’s what I wanted to ask you more about, Tatsu. You have a Persona, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” the blond-haired man answered after a deep sigh and sitting up straight. “His name’s Takeji Zaiten, a monster on the battlefield and a good friend.” Speaking fondly of his Persona, Kanji could feel a warm beat of his heart, causing him to smirk. “He says it’s nice to meet ya. Well, you and your Persona. What’s his name?”

“Arsène. But, technically, I had a lot of different Personas when I was with the Thieves. So, there’s more than him. He was the first one that appeared to me, though. Tatsu?”

Ren paused as Kanji started shaking his head with a light chuckle. “You’re really just like him. Down to your powers and everything. The gang’s gonna get a kick outta this.”

“Then they’re...”

“Yup. Just like your Phantom Thieves, they’re my team – well, they’re Senpai’s team. The Seekers of Truth. That’s what we were called,” Kanji spoke solemnly, as if morning a long-dead friend. “We defeated a lotta big bad dudes, and the TV World should have faded away after that, but we still feel our Personas. All of us were pretty proud and felt accomplished, we gave gods beat downs that they wouldn’t forget. Then it all fell apart, after...”

This was the moment Ren had awaited. “Your senpai, you guys talked about him like he’s dead, or something. Did he...?”

Kanji took a deep breath before breathing it out slowly through his nose and rubbing the back of his head. “Agh, I dunno if it’s my place to say, but...”

“Tatsu. I’ve seen the Metaverse - the TV World – here, in Inaba. Arsène brought my friend and me there. If it’s back, after all those years, then who knows what’ll happen to Inaba.”

“You’re right, but it’s just that it can get pretty personal for a lotta us. You and your friends are close, right? Imagine that and then leavin’ them all behind. That’s the feelin’ we’re all left with.”

“I wouldn’t...” Ren began but stopped himself as he realized that that line of thought wouldn’t help. Instead, he sat back in his seat and thought hard for a few moments before coming to the conclusion that his cousin wanted him to reach. “They’d be heartbroken.”

The frizzy-haired teen didn’t like thinking, let alone saying, how much he meant to his friends and confidants, but it was true. With how much everyone declared they cared about him, he knew his disappearance would hurt them. Then it hit him.

“He’s not dead, he decided to leave everyone behind,” Ren concluded, sympathy starting to blossom in him quickly at his cousin’s originally well-hidden plight.

“Y-yeah,” Tatsu admitted with a strained voice, his eyes focusing on his empty rice bowl. “Most of us don’t really know where he’s livin’ and workin’ nowadays. Even if we did, we’d know ‘nough to stay away.”

“Why?”

“Now there’s a lot to unpack there, Ren-Ren. And it’s gonna take time. I can’t tell ya everything, but... I think I know where to start.”

Kanji had a ghost of a smirk before it returned to a frown. “Remember those murders that started happenin’ a few years back? That’s where this all began. You need to hear our story first. That should help you understand Senpai. After that, you’re gonna need to get some more info from Teddie and fuckin’ Disco Frog. Stupid name, Yosuke-senpai.”

Both cousins chuckled before Ren ordered some more tea from Aiya’s owner as he walked by, with Kanji following suit.

“Guess we’re gonna be here for a while?”

“Yup,” Kanji affirmed. “After that, you can tell your girlfriend all about this and start investigatin’.”

“S-she’s not... we’re not going there, Tatsu. Do I really have to bring up Nao-kun’s stories about you and her?”

The blond-haired man laughed boisterously before calming down. “Fair ‘nough. Well, let’s get started. After all, you and her can’t get goin’ without a lead, right?”

An interrupting meow halted the discussion between the family members. They turned towards Morgana, his yellow eyes glaring at them.

Kanji chuckled. “And Morgana, too. So, from what I heard from the others, Senpai came to Inaba in April after his parents sent him to live with his uncle and cousin for a year...” The former punk recited the tale of the Seekers of Truth to Ren, connecting the similar paths the two Fool’s had followed during their trials. By the end of it, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts felt a faint kinship with the former leader of the Seekers of Truth.


	9. Aeon, Rank 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Never forget the nine most important words of any family:_
> 
> _I love you.  
>  You are beautiful.  
> Please forgive me."_
> 
> _~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all haven't forgotten about Akari! There're some things that need to be resolved in this fic, so I figured I'd start it in this chapter.
> 
> We're going to keep charging ahead, alright? Things aren't slowing down at the moment and I hope that continues to be the case. You might start noticing some changes in my writing style... that's because we're catching up to my current chapter count.
> 
> There are a couple of things y'all might notice here and there hidden in the context clues. Let me know if y'all find them - and of course, I won't let y'all know if you're right or not. Where's the fun in being the author if I can't tease y'all and let y'all just go ahead with your fan theories?
> 
> It's too fun!
> 
> Enjoy this week's chapter y'all and stay healthy and safe from the PLAGUE dammit! Oh, and bookmark this shit, it'll keep going for a while yet!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

Almost ten years ago, the Seekers of Truth had saved Inaba and much of the world from the clutches of the fog that threatened to blanket the town before spreading across Japan. They had fought a literal god in the form of Izanami-no-Okami – they had _won_ against a literal god. All the while, the Seekers had a leader in the form of a teenager who moved from out-of-town to spend the year in Inaba with his uncle and cousin.

Everything that Kanji had told Ren sounded too familiar.

It all hit too close to home.

The destinies of the Fool seemed to unfold similarly. If Ren hadn’t known any better, then he would have said it was all mere coincidence. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Igor, the proprietor of the Velvet Room, had a hand in this.

Yet, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves, no matter how hard he had tried, couldn’t find a way to contact him or Lavenza. At the same time, the third figure he had seen in his dream stood out to him, but he hadn’t been able to reach them either.

With many answers, but more questions, Ren had a difficult time digesting the story his cousin had told him and putting the missing pieces of the puzzle together. Any blanks he had in the picture he couldn’t find on his own or with Morgana’s help. Even after hearing what Kanji had to say and how he and the Seekers of Truth had dispelled Inaba of Izanami’s fog, Ren still didn’t know what it all meant.

His summons to the Velvet Room.

Signing his contract to fulfill a ‘forgotten bond.’

Discovering his cousin and his friends were also Persona-users.

And discovering the Metaverse inside a TV at Junes with Shiho.

None of it made sense. Why had it all happened? What did this ‘Senpai’ have to do with any of it? These questions hounded Ren and he knew he couldn’t move forward by himself. So, although reluctantly for her safety, the frizzy-haired teen wanted to have Shiho help him and Morgana understand everything.

It was Saturday night in late spring, a few days after Ren spoke with Kanji, that they would start planning out the details of their investigation. Shiho had been busy with the basketball club that week, so they had to wait until the weekend to find time to get together.

Ren had offered for his rekindled friend to come to his house for dinner with him, his sister, and Morgana. Shiho was flustered at first by the sudden invitation, but after her friend had explained that they could discuss the TV World, she eagerly accepted. Meanwhile, Akari and Morgana, once they had found out, began a relentless barrage of teasing that extended to the night of their dinner.

Even as Ren’s sister set the table in the living room.

“So, Ren? How long do you want me to stay before you two need some _private time_?” Akari questioned, wiggling her eyebrows at her brother and stressing the last part of her sentence.

Without even turning around, Ren continued chopping the vegetables he needed to make LeBlanc’s specialty curry. Currently, a pot of the steaming curry boiled on the stove in the kitchen, waiting eagerly for the potatoes, carrots, and peppers needed to bring out its flavor. At the same time, Ren had just started the rice cooker, hoping to time his cooking just perfectly with Shiho’s arrival.

He turned towards the modest dining table that served as a make-shift border between the kitchen and living room. “It isn’t like that, Kari. Just giving her a little taste of what she missed when we were back in Tokyo. Besides, she needs to see how good coffee can really taste,” Ren finished as he smirked, hit his sister playfully in the back with his towel, and turned to the cabinets to retrieve his coffee grinder. He added with a mumble, “Starvicks barely counts as coffee, anyway...”

Akari yelped after her brother had hit her with his dish towel-turned-weapon. She turned towards him with a grimace. “Now you’re just trying to show off, aren’t you? Also, Starvicks _totally_ counts as coffee.”

“Ignoring that comment.”

A soft whirring emanated from the kitchen moments later as Ren went to work preparing the coffee and placing the vegetables in the pot. The scent of spices and coffee filled the small kitchen, making Morgana and Akari’s mouths water as they finished setting up the kitchen table for dinner.

Akari inhaled deeply. “Damn, Ren-Ren! That smells _so_ good!” She peeked over her brother’s shoulder, glimpsing at the open pot before he hid its tantalizing contents with a lid to simmer. “Guess you learned something over there, after all, huh?”

Ren untied his apron and smirked before sitting down at the table. “Had to do something while I was there, right? Doubt mom and dad would like to see me bored out of my mind with nothing to show for it.”

His sister took the seat across from him. “Right.”

A few moments of silence passed as Morgana watched the siblings quietly stare at the wooden grained surface. It started off easy enough but slowly became heavier. Both former Phantom Thieves noticed it almost at the same time. They glanced at Akari.

She had been watching Ren, her mouth open, looking like she was about to say something but didn’t know how to start.

“What’s up?” Ren asked nonchalantly.

Snapping out of her reverie, Akari stumbled over her words. “O-oh! Nothing... yeah, just, um... H-hey, Ren-Ren?”

“Yeah?”

At this moment, Ren noticed tears prickling at the corner of his sister’s eyes. He waited patiently for her to continue, feeling that whatever she was about to say was important to her.

Under the table, Akari fumbled with her hands before muttering a quiet, “I’m... sorry... for back then...”

It didn’t take long for Ren to know that his sister referred to his probation.

“Don’t be, Kari. It was a tough time for everyone, and I’d like to think I’ve moved past that.” Even as Ren spoke, whispers from the rumors at Yasogami unintentionally tickled his ears. Perhaps that may have not been the case.

“Don’t do that, Ren-Ren.”

“What?”

“You know what I said. Don’t do that.”

Akari turned her teary, yet steely gaze towards her brother. Emotions swirled behind her eyes as anger and sadness and guilt and anxiety all mixed to form an unpleasant cocktail of thoughts that plagued her mind.

“Stop acting like nothing happened. When mom and dad settled on you going to Tokyo for your probation, without even giving you the benefit of the doubt, I just stood there and watched it all happen!” Akari stood from her chair, hands on the table as her voice rose. “I let them send you away and I didn’t fight for you, but you tell me that I shouldn’t be sorry! I’ve been so lonely without you, Ren-Ren! You left and I could’ve done something to stop it! I could’ve... I could’ve...”

Without an answer to what she could’ve done, Akari’s face fell as she started to openly sob. Her tears stained the wooden table as her crying filled the room.

Ren watched the scene, thinking about what he was seeing and what he should do. But slowly, he stood from his seat, too, and made his way to Akari’s side. She didn’t even look up at him as he embraced her but clinched tightly onto his shirt with her hands and let her tears fall freely. They stood together like that for a few moments longer as Akari cried and Ren rubbed her back softly, trying to calm her down.

She hiccupped before saying, “I’m sorry, Ren-Ren. I-I’m so sorry...”

Her brother released a deep breath and broke their embrace. He held onto her shoulders and urged her to look up at him. He wore a small smile.

“Kari, thank you,” he started, taking his sister by surprise. “You’re right, I may have felt betrayed by you, mom, and dad, at first. But there was so much in Tokyo I saw and did, so many people I met. Over time, I stopped being mad, they helped me see that I can forgive people that I care about.”

Akechi came to mind unbiddenly, but Ren shook the Detective Prince out of his mind. “That goes for you guys, too. You’re my family and no matter what happens we’ll always be family. I accept your apology, Kari, and I want to work towards us being like we used to be. Can you do that for me?”

The words shook Akari. She stared silently at Ren before breaking out into tears again and embracing him. She rubbed her face into his shirt and mumble into his chest over and over again, “Yes!” and “Of course!”

Ren’s smile continued as he waited for Akari to calm down. Their pieces had been said and now they felt like they could move forward towards repairing their relationship. There would be some work to do, but Ren had already known before today that they had started walking the right path. His parents would be a different story, but for now, he would focus on Akari and go from there.

Minutes passed before Akari sniffled one last time and pulled away from her brother. She rubbed at her red, puffy eyes as she mumbled, “Thanks, Ren-Ren.”

Ren ruffled her hair in response, chuckling lightly.

“Not to break up the family moment, but don’t you have a guest coming over soon?” Morgana reminded Ren gently and slyly.

The pair turned to the cat. Only Ren had understood what he had said, but Akari seemingly heard his words as she pulled out her phone to check the time.

“Oh, man! We need to fix ourselves up, Shiho-senpai’s going to be here soon!” Akari exclaimed as she ran to her room. She called back, “That means you, too, Ren-Ren! Your shirt is covered in my snot and tears now!”

Ren looked down at his shirt in response, noticing the remnants of his sister’s sobbing stained his black v-neck. “Guess she’s right. Keep an eye on the curry and rice, Morgana. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Aye, aye, Leader!” Morgana saluted as the frizzy-haired teen went to his room to change out of his stained shirt.

* * *

Not long after both siblings retreated to their rooms, Ren received a text that from Shiho that she had arrived, Morgana yowled that the curry was burning, and Akari tried to fix her brother’s cooking. A crazy start to what had already been a crazy evening, but Ren knew no other way to live, it seemed. Coffee and curry served, the evening could begin as Ren had hoped.

Dinner, surprisingly to Ren, came out better than he had promised Shiho, Akari, and Morgana. They all enjoyed their first helping quickly before asking for more. While Ren went to serve everyone their second helping, with Morgana’s help, Akari and Shiho started talking about Tokyo.

As soon as the topic of Ann came up, Akari turned to her brother with a knowing small and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. In response, she received a shake of the head and a flick of water from Ren. She snickered suggestively in response. Shiho watched Ren’s reaction and started to have her own wonderings about his and her best friend’s relationship. She’d have to ask Ann later.

For now, the second serving came and the small talk between the four continued. The food and coffee disappeared just as quickly as it came, and the four basked in their after-dinner happiness for a few moments before Ren started collecting dishes to wash them. Not wanting to seem like a bad guest, Shiho offered to help; not wanting to do the dishes at all, Akari excused herself to her room to do homework.

The pair chuckled at her antics, not knowing the prying eyes peeking at them from the stairs before disappearing to the second floor.

Ren and Shiho talked a little before they finished the dishes and sat in the living room with a second fresh cup of coffee each. The frizzy-haired teen excused himself to go to the bathroom, leaving Shiho alone in his – a _boy’s_ – house with Morgana. She curiously examined the room.

It was a plain living room that seemed well lived in but had little in the way of decorations. A TV sat in the corner, currently off, with an array of different movies that covered more genres than Shiho was willing to count. Next to the TV stood a record player with various records from different decades, something Shiho had never seen – some of the records appeared to have even been signed! There was a couch and table all on a tatami mat, and a pair of sliding doors that led out to a seemingly seldom-used porch. All in all, a normal living room.

But Shiho noticed something lying on the couch.

A pair of needles, a ball of yarn, a stitching pattern, and... a heap of more yarn that appeared to be two different colors. This yarn was folded over nicely like it was a piece of clothing to be treated well by its owner. Craning her neck, Shiho could almost make out what she saw, but before she could fully see what it could be, she heard Ren walking back to the living room.

Quickly, she tried to collect herself, staring down at the hands in her lap. She heard a soft mewing that sounded like chuckling coming from Morgana. Shiho turned and placed her finger on her lips, shushing him quickly and pleadingly, as if knowing he would tell Ren. He only responded with a yawn in return. It didn’t do anything to subside her worries.

“Alright, well that was a good dinner. Glad you could come,” Ren began as he sat down at the living room table across from Shiho. He noticed Shiho staring at Morgana oddly. “Did Morgana do something uncouth?”

Morgana yowled defiantly in response, eyeing Ren sternly.

“Right, not uncouth. I’ll ask him about it later...”

“No, that’s okay,” Shiho mumbled.

“Hm?”

“Nothing. Anyway, you wanted to talk to me about the... um...”

“Metaverse. Yeah. Oh, don’t worry, Akari puts her headphones on full volume when she’s studying,” Ren reassured Shiho as she glanced in the direction of the stairs.

“O-okay. Well, what did you want to talk about?”

Ren thought on his words briefly before deciding to simply state, “My cousin, Kanji, he knows about the Metaverse and the TV.”

“Like we thought. Doesn’t Teddie-sensei know something, too?” Shiho added.

“Apparently. So does our friend, Yosuke. Apparently, they all had someone they call ‘Senpai’ help them out a lot a few years back when there was a string of murders in Inaba,” Ren began. “They solved the murders with him as their leader. It sounded like we have similar powers.”

“Like Persona? Or something else?”

“Persona and the Fool – we could have multiple Personas in the Metaverse. I think that was the guy Arsène was talking about in the TV.”

“Then that might make it easier, right? We just have to find this Senpai!” Shiho summed up excitedly, getting carried away and almost knocking over her coffee. She sat back down after realizing this with a hint of red on her cheeks.

Ren chuckled good-naturedly before taking a sip of his drink. “I don’t think it’ll be that simple. It sounds like there’s more to their Senpai than Kanji let on. We need to find more clues.”

“Okay, but where do we start?”

“With Teddie-sensei and Yosuke. This means we need to talk to Teddie-sensei the first chance we get when we’re at school.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Shiho agreed before she drank some of her coffee. Her eyes widened as an automatic reaction. “Even without the curry, this coffee is amazing.”

“Better than Starvicks?”

“I thought that wasn’t coffee,” Shiho responded smugly with a coy smile before bringing her coffee mug to her lips again.

Ren laughed, heartily and happily, catching Morgana’s attention. They would have a lot to discuss later.

“Alright, touché. Glad you like it,” Ren conceded.

“Liked it? I loved it! The curry was amazing and the coffee just added an extra... kick. I didn’t know they went together so well.”

“You won’t believe the number of times I heard that back in Tokyo.”

The pair laughed at their exchange before falling into a comfortable silence as they enjoyed their coffee.

At the moment, a thought hit Shiho. “Ren, you said you and the Phantom Thieves awoke to your Personas in the Metaverse, right?”

Ren nodded his head.

“Then do you think I might awaken to my Persona while we’re in there?”

The question didn’t take Ren by surprise. After all, he and Morgana had thought about this happening themselves. “I’m actually not sure, Shiho. You might and you might not, it all depends on a lot of things I don’t know about. Things that I have no control over.”

Seemingly disappointed at Ren’s answer, Shiho deflated slightly. “O-oh...”

Seeing this, the frizzy-hair teen backstepped his comment. “But you never know, all of us awoke to our Personas in different ways, so you could, too. Tatsu also said that he awoke to his Persona in the TV, so that might help.”

Noticing her friend’s attempt at cheering her up, Shiho smiled softly. “You’re right, it could happen. Thanks, Ren.”

“Anytime. Hm... I wonder what she would be like...”

The two fell into a comfortable conversation that flew back-and-forth between them without a beat missed. They asked questions, they fielded answers, and they learned about each other. It all flowed naturally. The time passed by quickly and before they knew it, they had finished their coffee and it was dark outside, showing how late into the night they had found themselves enjoying each other’s company.

Shiho left shortly after, thanking Ren several times for inviting her over, for the food, and for telling her about the Metaverse and the TV. Once she had reassured Ren that she could walk home by herself, she said goodbye to the frizzy-haired teen and his cat, heading in the direction of the Samegawa Riverbank.

As Ren reentered his house after watching her leave, Morgana purred, “Well, seems like you two are getting along nicely.”

“You could say that,” Ren muttered, yawning after he did so.

“She saw _it_ , by the way. She’s a curious one. I like her.”

“It?”

Morgana shook his head then nodded towards the couch. It took Ren a minute, but then it dawned on him what Shiho exactly saw. For the first time in what felt like quite some time, he felt a fleeting sense of panic that quickly disappeared after some brief rationalization.

Ren sighed. “Well, I doubt she’d be able to figure it out by just eyeing it. But maybe I should be a bit more careful next time.”

“And don’t let Akari help you forget. Your sister’s as crafty as you, Ren-Ren.”

“Hush, Mona.”

Ren took a look at his phone, noticing some missed text messages and the time. He was running late for his video call with his friends. “We’re running behind schedule. Come on, let’s go, Morgana.”

The pair rushed up the stairs to his room, Ren ignoring Morgana’s pleas to go to sleep. But as Ren turned his computer on and the familiar faces of the Phantom Thieves appeared on the monitor, Morgana forgot all about going to sleep, too. They all greeted Ren and talked well into the early hours of the morning before they all signed off one by one.

All of them, except for Makoto.

She stayed on, not exactly knowing why. Ren did the same, even as Morgana had already curled up on his bed. They looked like they wanted to say something to each other, but neither knew where to start. So, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves, quick on his toes, asked her to tell him about her university.

With a smile shared between the pair, both knew that neither of them would be sleeping anytime soon.


	10. Aeon, Rank 4.25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"There is need of a method for finding out the truth."_
> 
> _~ Descartes_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a good time of the year - fall's in full swing and snowboarding is just around the corner! At least, that's my usual attitude, but we all know that plans haven't gone as expected this year. For that reason, I hope all of you are finding some sense of normalcy, friendship, or family over these past and next few holiday weeks.
> 
> Anyway, this is the next chapter and, as with the last few, there are a couple things that people with sharp eyes will notice that have changed over time. Let's see if you can pick them out!
> 
> Time to talk to some of the other members of the Seekers of Truth! Let's see what they know about a certain... someone...
> 
> Kudos, subs, bookmarks, and comments are, of course, always welcome! So, don't be afraid to leave any of them!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

After discussing their plan the previous night, Ren and Shiho figured it would be best to talk to Mr. Teddie as soon as they could the next day at school.

Lessons passed by quickly, but they couldn’t find their teacher after scouring the entire school building during lunch. They ran from floor to floor on a mission, they even split up at one point to see if that helped. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find him anywhere in Yasogami. So, they returned to their homeroom as soon as the bell rang signifying the end of lunch.

Ironically enough, Mr. Teddie appeared seemingly from nowhere to start their lessons. Ren, Morgana, and Shiho let out a collective, annoyed sigh. They would have to catch him after class.

But as soon as the bell rang again to end the day, no sooner did Mr. Teddie jump into his mascot costume and roll out of the room. The trio felt that, at this point, the odd teacher was avoiding them on purpose the entire day.

Shiho reassured them all that that couldn’t be the case and said she would help them later after her basketball club practice ended.

Ren’s first response was to wait for her, but one small smile from Shiho and one nudge from Morgana later, and the frizzy-haired teen realized he should start searching for their teacher instead. So, he waved goodbye to her, asked her to text him when she was done and made his way down the hill from Yasogami to Inaba.

Surely Mr. Teddie had to be rolling around in Inaba somewhere, right?

Yet Ren ran around like a man with too many chores searching for the mysteriously vanished teacher.

He searched Inaba’s shopping district first and couldn’t find him anywhere there. Walking up and down the street, Ren had half a mind to ask his cousin if he had seen Teddie. However, when he passed by Tatsumi Textiles, Kanji was out on an errand. Funnily enough, the teen’s instincts kicked in and told him that Mr. Teddie was planning something. What that thing could have been, Morgana and Ren didn’t know.

They continued their search.

Next, they made their way to Junes, hoping to find Yosuke there, too (he hadn’t answered any of Ren’s texts asking to meet). But the famed Disco Frog and Prince of Junes couldn’t be found. Ren only saw the same old customers and one he hadn’t noticed before that complained to a cashier about how her black card didn’t work. She had bags of unbought clothes and makeup that she didn’t seem to need if her own worn wardrobe said anything. There were many kinds of people in this world, so Ren decided not to judge and continue his search.

He had played video games with Futaba where they had to control the main character to run from place to place to complete one quest or another. Now, Ren felt like one of those characters and had to ask how they dealt with being controlled to do such seemingly menial, repetitive tasks over and over again.

The last place he decided to look was the Samegawa Riverbank. However, no matter how much he searched up and down the river, Ren couldn’t find Mr. Teddie there either. He saw some cats prowling near the top of the hill overlooking Inaba and a dog digging a hole by the river, but no bear mascot. Morgana popped his head out of Ren’s bag and swore that he heard the echoing sound of a trombone from somewhere along the riverbank. Once they noticed it, it disappeared and the lapping sounds of the river replaced it.

Without anywhere else to turn to, for the time being, Ren texted Shiho.

_Ren: Couldn’t find Teddie-sensei, are you done with practice?_

_..._

Five minutes passed and Ren didn’t receive a response, so he and Morgana decided to make their way back to Yasogami.

_Ren: We’re heading back to Yasogami... we’ll meet you there!_

_..._

Still nothing.

Both former Phantom Thieves surmised that Shiho was still at club practice. They would have to wait outside the school. After all, she’d likely text Ren after she finished.

Shortly after texting Shiho their plan, they returned to Yasogami, where their search for Mr. Teddie had started. They entered the school and waited by the shoe lockers, searching down both first-floor hallways for Mr. Teddie before giving up and sitting on the staircase to wait for Shiho.

As they did, they heard the students talking as they passed them by to leave for home, cram school, or their chosen clubs.

Whenever the students passed the two misfits, Morgana and Ren could hear their conversations.

“He’s bringing a cat into school, now?”

“I mean, it’s technically _after_ school, right?”

“Still, what’d’ya expect from a ne’er-do-well?”

“Not much, I guess...”

“Hey, you ready for the exams? Placements got you bad last year.”

“Shh! Not so loud! If that new girl in the basketball club hears you, my chances are gone...”

“Really? Too late. She’s already hanging around the convict.”

Ren had learned to shrug off the comments about him coming his way. But when he heard them talking about Shiho so degradingly, he couldn’t stop himself.

The frizzy-haired teen stood up from his spot on the stairs, catching the curious eyes of the passing students who had gossiped about him and Shiho. His dark eyes pierced dangerously through them, delivering a silent message that he hoped they received. From how they visibly shivered and jumped before running down the hall, it seemed that Ren had gotten his message across.

Victorious, he returned to his seat on the stairs and adjusted his bag.

“Don’t get so cocky there, Joker,” Morgana chided after seeing his friend’s smirk.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mona,” Ren played along.

“Hmph, well I don’t think Shiho needs a knight-in-shining-armor. She seems more capable than that and can handle herself.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Morgana smirked. “Then why did you feel the need to stand up for her?”

Ren replied smoothly, “Because she’s my friend.”

“Right.” Morgana dragged out the word before chuckling. “She’s getting under that skin of yours. ‘Bout time a woman did that to you.”

Flustered, Ren started playing with a lock of his hair, turning his attention away from Morgana. “Again, I don’t know what you're talking about...”

“Your fidgeting says otherwise.”

“I’m leaving you with Futaba and Boss next time we’re back in Tokyo.”

“Hey! You wouldn’t abandon me like that! We’re partners-in-crime!”

Ren chuckled, happy he could still turn the tables so easily on Morgana and shift the conversation away from him. While his mind became chaotic after hearing what his friend had said about Shiho, Ren quickly reeled in his emotions and composed himself as he felt his phone buzz.

_Shiho: Sorry! Practice ran a little late._

_Shiho: I’m on my way, where should I meet you?_

Ren typed back a quick message to let her know he and Morgana were sitting on the stairs near the shoe lockers.

A few minutes later, Ren could see Shiho walking towards them from the practice building. She had changed back into her school uniform and appeared to be in a hurry to meet up with her friend.

Ren stood up to wave and greet her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she replied happily as she joined him. “Sorry if I’m running late.”

“No, we didn’t have a schedule. Besides, we haven’t really made any headway into our search for Teddie-sensei. Right, Morgana?”

Morgana let out a muffled mew from inside Ren’s bag as a confirmation.

Shiho giggled. “I can’t believe he understands us. Think I’ll be able to understand him someday?”

“If we bring him into the Metaverse with us, I don’t see why not.”

“That would be weird – I mean, this entire situation is weird. But a talking cat? It’s almost like a talking bear.”

Ren glanced around at her mentioning of a bear. As if on cue, the door to the teacher’s lounge slid open. “You have really good timing, Shiho.”

Before she could ask what Ren meant, Shiho peered around him. A blue, bulbous blur rolled out of the teacher’s lounge at a fast speed. It accurately turned the corner towards the shoe locker and sped past confused students out the door. Ren and Shiho chased after it, but as they exited Yasogami, they saw the blue blur quickly barrel down the hill towards Inaba.

“Was that Teddie-sensei...?” Shiho asked unsurely.

“Anything that big and blue has to be him,” Ren confirmed. “I know him too well. If he’s excited or trying to avoid something, he’ll roll faster than a bowling ball.”

“Good comparison,” Shiho complimented mirthfully. “Shall we chase after him?”

Ren smirked. “What else would we do?”

“We could roll after him,” the raven-haired teen joked.

Ren shrugged before crouching. “If you say so.”

He didn’t have a chance to fold himself into a ball to follow Mr. Teddie before he heard a yapping yowl from Morgana and Shiho quickly pulled him back up to his feet.

“Ren! I was joking!”

“So was I. Now come on, we can’t be slowpokes any longer!”

Ren started running towards the gate without waiting for Shiho, who stood flabbergasted at her friend’s actions. She sighed good-naturedly, shook her head, and ignored all of the questioning stares aimed her way as she ran after the frizzy-haired teen. Her life had become pretty interesting since moving to Inaba, she’d admit that. She’d also admit that she never thought she’d be chasing after her teacher dressed in a blue bear mascot costume rolling down a hill towards town.

No matter what Shiho had faced in life, it couldn’t have prepared her for this experience.

* * *

While Ren’s endurance and speed had increased during his time as a Phantom Thief, and Shiho had the abilities of a natural athlete, neither of them could catch up to a rolling mass of fake fur hurtling down a steep hill. They had to catch themselves several times so they wouldn’t fall. It slowed them down and before they knew it, they quickly lost Mr. Teddie as he disappeared somewhere amongst the small town of Inaba.

It wasn’t until after they searched the shopping district that they realized he had probably vanished into the bowels of Junes. After all, Mr. Teddie loved to go on and on about his times as a mascot at Junes. More than likely, Yosuke would also be there. If Ren and Shiho could talk to both of them at the same time, then maybe they could find more answers than they had hoped to uncover today.

With Morgana in tow, the two Yasogami students expediently made their way to the superstore. As soon as they entered, they knew they had made the right choice.

“Did you see that blue blur just now?”

“Yes, yes, that’s nothing new.”

“He’s been here for years, just hasn’t been around as often.”

“Yes, did you hear? The Prince of Junes is visiting.”

“That DJ Salamander or whatever?”

“Maybe that’s why he’s rolling with excitement at the food court...”

The gossiping of the housewives down the floors of Junes hinted to the trio that they neared their destination. Floor after floor, escalator after escalator, rumor after rumor, they had finally arrived at the food court. Voices started to rise as shoppers gathered around the food court and children squealed in excitement.

Ren and Shiho sighed, knowing they had found the person they had searched for all day. They walked towards the gathering of shoppers and children before joining them. In the middle of the group of people, a bear cheered happily, standing atop a table and handing out balloons left and right as if he belonged there.

A familiar brown-haired man wearing a pair of headphones around his neck watched his friend in exasperation. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Teddie! You don’t work here anymore!” Yosuke yelled over the children’s joyful cheers.

“Oh, come now, Yosuke! They love me! And here’s one for you, here’s one for you,” Mr. Teddie retorted as he continued excitedly handing out balloons. “Besides, you don’t work here anymore, either. So... why’re you yelling at me like you’re my boss!?”

“That teaching certificate made you way too smart, man.”

Teddie giggled in response.

Ren and Shiho watched the spectacle all the while. Ren smiled as he saw Mr. Teddie work the same job he had so many years ago. Shiho watched in confusion, but only one glance at the children, shoppers, and Ren, and she couldn’t help the smile on her face.

“That’s Disco Frog – er, Yosuke, over there,” Ren pointed out.

His finger landed on the brown-haired DJ.

“So, we need to talk to him, too?” Shiho asked with a finger on her chin.

“Yeah, he was a part of my cousin’s team. He might be able to translate whatever it is Teddie-sensei says.”

The crowd started to disperse as Mr. Teddie ran out of balloons. That didn’t stop him from waving goodbye to all of the children rejoining their parents. When they had returned to the shopping floors, Mr. Teddie jumped off the table straight onto Yosuke. As his friend struggled beneath him, the former Junes mascot removed the head of his costume.

“Yay! That was great Yosuke! Felt like old times, right?”

Yosuke’s response came back muffled and angry.

“What was that?”

With a brief feat of strength, Yosuke threw his friend off of him and jumped to his feet.

As Mr. Teddie recovered from the incident, Yosuke exclaimed, “Don’t do that! We aren’t teenagers anymore!”

Mr. Teddie rubbed his head and moaned, “But Yosuke! What about spending those days of youth? We should relive them while we can!”

“Think we can do that with just us?”

“Of course, silly Yosuke!”

Ren and Shiho glanced at each other before rolling their eyes.

“These are Persona users?” Morgana spoke up after popping his head out of Ren’s bag. “We may be in trouble...”

Ren chuckled. “Trust me – they’re reliable. Let’s go.”

The trio approached the two arguing members of the Seekers of Truth.

It didn’t take long for Mr. Teddie to notice them. He quickly shot up and shoved Yosuke out of the way.

“About time you guys got here!” the teacher exclaimed.

“Were you expecting us?” Ren replied with a knowing smirk.

“Of course, Ren-Ren! It was all part of my master plan. Now, you can talk to both of us!”

“Oh, just shut it, bear. You aren’t _that_ smart,” Yosuke butted into the conversation. He gave the group a wink. “Heard you guys know about the gang. Kanji told Teddie and me all about what you saw. So, you’re like my partner, huh? I should’ve guessed, Ren-Ren.”

Ren shrugged. “That’s what they say.”

“Well, hopefully, you, your girlfriend, and your cat aren’t too in over your head. But...” Yosuke’s voice took a more calm, somber tone. “Maybe you can help us out if we help you.”

“I think so.”

“Then I’ll grab us some drinks and we can start talking. Coffee for you, Starvicks for Suzui-chan, and milk for your cat!” Mr. Teddie exclaimed as he rushed off to the food stands. “Let’s go, Yosuke!”

“Yeah, yeah. You guys sit your butts down at that table, and we’ll be back in a second.”

Yosuke rushed off to join Mr. Teddie as the teenagers took a seat. Ren let Morgana out of his bag. He stretched out and meowed happily.

“Really wish they’d stop calling me ‘your cat,’” Morgana complained.

“You kind of are though, you know?” Ren commented slyly.

“Yeah, yeah. Shouldn’t you be defending yourself and Shiho? You know, about her being your girlfriend and all.”

Ren blushed softly at the comment. Luckily, he wasn’t facing Shiho.

She tried to peek around her friend to see his face. “What did he say, Ren?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just complaining about being a cat again.”

Morgana snickered quietly to himself.


	11. Jester, Rank 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"It's sad when you've already learned to be a part of someone's life and then you end up being strangers."_
> 
> _~ Unknown_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving the plot along, everyone. We finally figure out... a little bit about what's happening in Inaba and to everyone there.
> 
> Time to bring in the Seekers of Truth! They have some hints and pieces of advice for our investigators and a little something else, too.
> 
> Find out more by reading below and, hell, I don't know, telling me what you think! Or pointing out how inadequate my self-editing skills can be!
> 
> See you goobers next week and happy beginning of the holidays. May you be protected from Karens trying to steal your PS5s for their child and not get stampeded by a crowd of seasonal shoppers.
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

Yosuke took a long sip of his soda before speaking. “Kanji passed on some of the details to us. So, you’re Persona users?”

“Well, not Shiho,” Ren clarified as he put his drink down. “But Morgana and I are.”

“Your cat’s a Persona user!?” Mr. Teddie, now out of his costume, exclaimed.

Morgana yowled loudly in response.

“Doesn’t sound like he liked that. You can understand him. Right, Ren-Ren?”

Ren nodded.

“And he said...?”

“Something that probably shouldn’t be repeated in a public place.” The table laughed at Ren’s response, save Morgana who swiped his paw at Ren's face when he glanced down at the cat. “Hey! It was just a joke.”

“Well, shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Teddie here was a Persona user, too, and he’s not even entirely human.”

“Maybe not entirely human, but I’m 100% fluff and love! So come here, Yosuke, give your bestest friend a smooch!”

Teddie tried to attack the brown-haired DJ with his lips. Yosuke successfully fended him off, managing to keep his blond-haired counterpart at arms’ length. “Get away, you dumb bear!”

After they had calmed down (again), Yosuke continued, “Right. So, you two, huh?”

“Yeah. Funnily enough, he has the same arcana as you, Yosuke.”

“Really now?”

Morgana jumped onto the table. Yosuke stared down at the animal, drawing ever closer to him, their eyes never leaving each other. While Morgana stayed completely still and unblinking, Yosuke continued inching his face closer and squinting his eyes. Eventually, the black feline swatted at the brown-haired man’s nose, causing him to flinch.

Yosuke jumped back with a yelp. “Whoa! Easy there, feisty cat!”

“So?” Ren asked.

Morgana turned to him after cleaning his face and nodded, clearly understanding his friend.

“Huh. He seems to feel some kind of connection, Yosuke.”

“Weird... Never had that happen before. But I can’t deny that I understood him while I was staring at him,” the DJ admitted and crossed his arms. He smiled. “I like him.”

Morgana meowed happily in agreement.

Ren coughed into his hand, regaining everyone’s attention. “Hate to break up the bonding, but we needed to talk to you and Yosuke, Teddie-sensei.”

“Right! So, what can we do for you, Ren-Ren?" Mr. Teddie questioned happily, while Yosuke grimaced, seemingly knowing what conversation was coming.

Ren and Shiho turned and nodded to each other before addressing their teacher and his friend.

“We want to know about Senpai,” Shiho started.

Neither Mr. Teddie nor Yosuke seemed surprised about the turn in the conversation.

“You mean... Sensei?” Mr. Teddie asked.

Ren and Shiho nodded.

“Well... he’s a great guy, I’ll tell you that!”

Mr. Teddie laughed to try to clear away the tension in the air. No one else even attempted to crack a joke.

Yosuke sighed. “That’s a touchy subject, but I suppose Kanji told you three to ask us about him.”

“Right,” Ren confirmed.

Yosuke’s sigh grew in intensity. He grabbed Mr. Teddie’s hand before he could start trying to explain the situation. “Don’t. You’re just going to confuse them. Let me go first, you can jump in later.”

Mr. Teddie made to speak.

“And no, I didn’t mean that literally.”

And closed his mouth just as fast.

Yosuke returned his attention to the two high schoolers and Morgana. “So, my partner-in-crime, our leader, he is... or I guess was a great guy.”

“You mentioned that at _Aiya’s_. Is he...?” Ren left the question hanging.

“Huh? Oh, no... no, he’s not dead or anything like that. But it has been a while since any of us have seen him.” Yosuke paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “Did Kanji mention anyone by the name of Marie?”

All three of them shook their head.

“Thought not. Well, my partner, his name’s Narukami Yu. He’s your senpai from the looks of it, Ren-Ren. Same power, same arcana, from what he told us. Anyway, he was sweet on this girl, Marie. They were basically dating.” Yosuke chuckled before becoming serious again. “But something happened. On one of our last missions with our Personas, in the TV World.”

Yosuke paused again and shook his head. “But that’s not my part to tell.”

“Seems like there’s a lot you can’t tell us about Narukami-senpai,” Ren stated, folding his hands under his chin. “Why?”

“Too personal, to sum it up. We don’t feel comfortable talking about his past without him here.” Yosuke replied, rubbing his hair and sounding like he had left something out. Before Ren or Shiho could comment on it, the DJ returned to his story. “That being said, Yu wasn’t the same after what happened. We didn’t talk to him much those last couple of months, except on his last day here when we needed to go back to the TV World and stop Izanami-no-Okami. After that, he left.”

“So, he’s not in Inaba?” Shiho questioned.

“No. Or at least that we know of. Nanako-chan and her father told us he visits every now and then.”

“Think we could ask them about him?”

“I wouldn’t. They don’t really know too much about what happened with Marie or our Personas. But there’s a reason Kanji sent you to talk to our resident mascot...”

Everyone at the table turned towards Mr. Teddie. His eyes stared sadly at his untouched beverage. He poked it with his finger, uncharacteristically quiet and not enjoying his drink.

He sighed. “I know where Sensei is...”

That piqued everyone’s interest.

“Yeah, I’ve been curious about that, Ted. He hasn’t even told _me_ where he is,” Yosuke commented morosely. “And how did you find that out?”

Without speaking, Mr. Teddie poked his nose.

“Ah, you sniffed him out?”

“Yup. One day, I picked up his scent when I was going to visit Nana-chan. It wasn’t strong, but I followed it and found him,” the teacher continued.

“Did you talk to him?”

“Well...” Mr. Teddie seemed to withdraw into himself even more, covering his head with his arms. “I tried to talk to him, but he just stared blankly at me then walked away. Like he didn’t want to talk to me or didn’t even know me.”

“Okay, okay, sorry, Ted. But where is he?”

“Remember the ski trip we took? He’s there, at the lodge.”

Yosuke jumped up in surprise. “Wait why’s he... do you think he’s there ‘cause of...? And why didn’t you tell us sooner!?”

Mr. Teddie stood from his seat, his eyes furrowing agitatedly. “Because I didn’t wanna think about it, Yosuke! If your friend didn’t want to talk to you, would you wanna talk about it with everyone else!?”

Silence reigned over the table for a few moments. Before the tension could increase, Ren stood up from his seat, placing his hand on both of his friends’ shoulders.

“Hey, guys, let’s take it down a notch. People are looking at us.”

At that moment, everyone at the table noticed the shoppers and workers that had stopped to watch the former manager and mascot of Junes as they argued away. Some ushered their children along, while others appeared like they wanted to intervene. Noticing this, Yosuke coughed into his hand uncomfortable and sat back down, crossing his arms over his chest. Teddie did the same.

Sighing gratefully, Ren waved awkwardly at the bystanders, trying to show them that he would attempt to resolve the situation. They seemed to buy it, although slowly and went back to their chores, shopping, and work.

Ren sat down once everything had calmed down and started twirling a lock of his hair around his forefinger. “Listen, I don’t know what’s gotten into guys, but it sounds like something’s wrong with Narukami-senpai. After everything you and Tatsu told me about him, it doesn’t sound like things are normal. If the TV World reappearing has anything to do with it, too, then he might be in trouble.”

The black-haired teen ceased his fidgeting and turned to Mr. Teddie. “Teddie-sensei. I understand, Narukami-senpai hurt you, but don’t you think Yosuke and the rest of the group want to know his whereabouts, too?”

Mr. Teddie’s somber attitude seemed to replace his anger while he contemplated Ren’s words.

Satisfied, Ren turned towards Yosuke. “Yosuke. I get it, you want to help your friend. Teddie-sensei was hurt, though, and was too sad to talk about it. He probably would’ve told you eventually, but he just hadn’t had the opportunity yet.”

That calmed Yosuke down and his face turned into one of regret.

An amused meow came from Morgana. “That’s Joker for you.”

Meanwhile, Shiho watched her friend, impressed by his actions. Despite the situation, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

Ren smirked. “So, come on, make up. I think we can all figure this out together.”

They were silent for a minute longer before Mr. Teddie spoke first. “I’m sorry, Yosuke. Sensei is just... not Sensei...”

“I know, Ted, I know,” the DJ responded as he put his hand comfortingly on his friend’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, too. Just frustrated, is all.”

Apologies exchanged, Shiho spoke up, thinking about something Ren had suggested. “Do you think Narukami-san is in trouble?”

Ren nodded.

“Because of the Seekers of Truth’s involvement, the TV World returning to Inaba, and Narukami-senpai not reaching out to anyone else here. There has to be something connecting all of these events together and I still feel like we don’t have the right answer.” He rose his hand to his chin. “It has something to do with what you aren’t telling us, Teddie-sensei, Yosuke.”

Yosuke sighed. “Well, I don’t even know if it has anything to do with it at all. It’s just a hunch really. So, it’d still be better to ask the man himself.”

“And you know where he is, Teddie-sensei,” Shiho stated knowingly.

Mr. Teddie nodded his head slowly.

“Then we need to get there somehow. Is there any way we can do that?”

The group fell silent, thinking about Shiho’s question. If what Mr. Teddie had said was true, then not only did the group know where Yu was, but they also knew he wouldn’t outright talk to any of his friends. They had to find a way to infiltrate the lodge, so to speak, and talk to the man himself.

Suddenly, Mr. Teddie’s face brightened up, as if lit by a lightbulb. “I know! It’ll take some finagling, but I think I got an idea!”

“Really? Well, what is it?” Yosuke asked hurriedly.

His friend waved him off. “I’ll tell ya, Yosuke, but you can’t come this time around.”

Visibly disappointed, Yosuke replied less excitedly, “Okay. Still, let’s hear it.”

“Alright! You know how there’s the yearly camping trip for Yasogami? Thanks to Chie and the students, that mountain is as clean as ever, so last year there was almost nothing to take care of. The teachers and principal were a little disappointed that all they did was run around the woods scaring each other and pulling pranks. It was exhausting corralling all of those hormonal teenagers!”

“Get to the point, Ted.”

“Oh, right.” Teddie collected himself. “Technically, the ski resort is close enough for it to be a part of the Inaba community. It’s also out-of-season right now since it’s spring. So, I think I can convince the principal and my fellow teachers-in-arms to change the destination of the camping trip this year. With enough money, of course.”

“Ted, that’s genius!” Yosuke exclaimed. “Guess that teaching license helped give you an actual brain inside of that hollow head of yours.”

Mr. Teddie rasped his knuckles against his head. “Doctors are still surprised about that every yearly physical!”

“That’s not something to be proud of...” Yosuke sighed. He turned towards the trio. “Looks like you have your in. Let me know if you need a little financial push. I think I can part with a bit of yen to help a friend.”

Ren smiled and bowed his head shortly. “Thank you, Yosuke. Teddie-sensei.”

“Yes, thank you,” Shiho echoed gratefully.

“Anything to help Sensei!” Mr. Teddie cheered. “So, what’re you going to do after you talk with Sensei? You’ve got a couple of weeks to decide.”

“We’ll have to talk about that together more,” Ren stated, nodding towards Morgana and Shiho. “But we’ve got our next move, that’s more than we could’ve asked for today.”

“Alright, alright, but in exchange, I need you to do something for us, okay?” Yosuke interrupted the celebrating. Ren paused, waiting for the DJ to continue. “First, I need you to tell us about your conversation. There’re some things we want to figure out, too, but we need to know why everything happened the way it did. Second, I want you to talk to Rise and Yukiko. Both had a... special place for Yu when we were all together. I don’t think anyone’s more heartbroken than them...”

Yosuke shook his head, trying to rid himself of the self-doubt creeping towards the front of his mind. “If any of you get the chance, ask him why he left us hanging, without telling us anything. We all need some kind of closure after everything that happened...”

“It wouldn’t be fair to us, ‘kay?” Mr. Teddie chimed in. “We trust you guys, though. Right, Yosuke?”

“Yeah. If anyone can get him to talk, it’s you three. Knowing how your weird powers work, he’ll probably know why you’re there before you tell him,” Yosuke teased.

Ren chuckled. “Probably. Is there anything else you can tell us? We wanted to take a look around the TV world with Morgana.”

“Well, we have only a couple small details, but Ted had a feeling you guys would say that after what Kanji told us.” Yosuke nudged the teacher. “Got the goods?”

“Do I? I thought you’d never ask!” Mr. Teddie replied happily.

He dove into his mascot costume, the entire top half of his body disappearing below its zipper lining. The teacher scrambled around inside for a lot longer than anyone would expect. Eventually, Mr. Teddie uttered a muffled sound of success before asking Yosuke to help pull him out. Successfully out of his costume, now, he held one case in both of his hands.

“Here they are! Just finished them last night, so they're fresh off the presses,” Mr. Teddie explained happily as he handed Ren and Shiho one of the rectangular cases. “Now that you’re part of the Investigation Team, you two need these.”

“Thanks, Teddie-sensei, but what are they?” Shiho asked.

“Open them and find out,” Mr. Teddie replied gleefully.

They both opened their cases. Inside each case, gently covered by a protective piece of cloth, laid a pair of clear-lens glasses.


	12. Aeon, Rank 4.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers."_
> 
> _~ Thomas Pynchon_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the VERY late post! Traveling out for some fieldwork, so had to post this late.
> 
> That is all... well, except that I should be caught up on chapters starting next post and, depending on many variables, I may take a hot break from this to work on other works/fics, just to keep this fresh and feeling good, rather than trying to rush and cram content (like I have on past fics...).
> 
> Otherwise, hope all of you like this and let me know with whatever criticism you have on your plate!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

They stood in front of the TV wearing their new accessories.

Shiho shifted her blue-framed glasses up her nose, again. She wasn't used to wearing them. They shifted down her nose, despite her attempts to make them stay put, which caused her to grimace.

“I don’t know how you can wear these. Especially if your normal glasses are fake,” she complained. “And they look like they fit you.”

To anyone who knew Ren, the new glasses he wore didn’t appear any different from the fake ones he sported every day.

Ren smirked. “They make me look less suspicious.”

“True. After all, who’d think that the leader of the Phantom Thieves would be a nerd with curly hair.”

“You _are_ rather unsuspecting,” Morgana chimed in, his head popping out of Ren’s bag. “That’s beside the point. They’re supposed to help you guys see in the TV World, right?”

“That’s what Teddie-sensei said. Speaking of which, they’re running a little late on the signal,” Ren commented. His gaze shifted to one of the overhead shopping intercoms.

“You think they got distracted?” Shiho asked.

“Knowing those two, I wouldn’t doubt it.”

They shared a short laugh before they heard the intercom crackle to life. A familiar voice spoke over another struggling voice.

“Attention all Junes- stop it, you stupid bear!” Yosuke yelled over the speaker. He continued quickly. “Attention all Junes shoppers! There is a flash sale on vegetables for the next thirty minutes!”

The intercom quickly shut off before Mr. Teddie could have a chance to even attempt to say his peace.

“That was Hanamura-san’s idea? I don’t know if that’ll work...” Shiho confessed with disbelief, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Wait a minute,” Ren assured. He looked down the aisles.

Not a second later, they could hear a faint rumbling. On instinct, Ren and Shiho moved back against the same TV they had fallen into as they saw a crowd of people stampeding towards them. They hadn’t accounted for the fact that they stood only a few dozen feet away from the escalator leading towards Junes’ food section.

As the throngs of people pushed against them, Shiho fell into the TV, giving in to the pressure of the crowds rushing past them. Reacting quickly, she reached out to grab onto something.

Her fingers curled around Ren’s wrist.

With a short yelp that no one in the rushing crowd could hear over the other bickering shoppers, Ren tumbled into the TV just after Shiho. Not long after, the crowd started to peter out as they took their stampede to one level below the electronics section, which had now become a desert. In fact, the only sound that could be heard echoing between stereo towers and the newest video game systems was the Junes jingle.

No one had noticed the two teenagers and cat that had fallen into a display model TV.

* * *

Ren had managed to gather his wits about him almost instantaneously as they fell through the TV. Using his cat-like reflexes he managed to place himself beneath Shiho and wrap her body into his. When they landed roughly in the TV World, the frizzy-haired teen felt the wind knock out of him as the combined weight of Morgana and Shiho landed on top of him.

“...Ren!”

He heard a small voice bringing him back out of his whiplashed state. His eyes begrudgingly opened to see Morgana’s face hovering over his.

"Ren, you okay?”

Ren blinked twice, making sure he wasn’t seeing things. Morgana still had the appearance of a cat.

“Morgana? You’re still a cat?”

“Huh?”

The cat took a quick glance at himself. Before he yowled in mourning, “No! Dammit, I thought this would give me back my meow-velous form! But I’m still a cat!”

“Sorry, buddy. Looks like you’re really stuck as a cat,” his friend mourned with him.

“This was my chance to prove to Lady Ann...”

Ren felt bad for his friend, so he comforted him by petting his head. “It’s okay. I’m sure Ann will still say you’re cute.”

Morgana leaned into Ren’s hand, purring happily in response.

Their moment ended as they heard groaning. Both former Phantom Thieves turned their eyes towards Ren’s chest to see Shiho’s face buried in it. She lifted her head up, grimacing, and carefully rose a hand to her forehead.

Once she had roused herself, she turned her head, trying to figure out what had happened. “Where... am I? Are we in the TV?”

Knowing what was about to happen, Ren sighed internally and Morgana held back his laughter.

_Talk about unfortunate clichés_ , Ren bemoaned in his mind.

Surprisingly, she didn’t immediately react as he thought she would, but instead slowly shifted off his body. “Um... I’m... uh...”

Her face grew increasingly red. In any other situation, Ren might poke fun at her about it. But even he could feel the heat rising to his own cheeks. He averted his eyes from the black-haired girl moving off of his body.

“No, it’s.... uh... could you maybe...?”

“Y-yeah...”

Finally, Shiho managed to fully move off Ren’s body. Once she had, she sat down on the floor, purposefully turning away from her friend.

The frizzy-haired teen sat himself up, too. As was habit, he started playing with a lock of his hair as he tried to think about what to say. Words weren’t coming to him easily at the moment.

“S-sorry... about that, Ren...” Shiho started uneasily.

That broke the ice a little bit, prompting the frizzy-haired teen to cough into his hand. “It’s not a problem. Are you okay...?”

She nodded. “Thank you...”

Ren smiled softly. “You’re welcome.”

It suddenly felt a lot colder without Shiho on top of him. Morgana’s snickering brought Ren back into reality. He stood up and walked over to the black-haired teen, and tapped her shoulder. She turned towards him to see that Ren had his hand outstretched towards her.

Seeing the gesture, Shiho matched Ren’s smile. After all, the feeling in her stomach that accompanied her softly lit cheeks didn’t feel bad. She grabbed her friend’s hand gratefully and let him pull her up back to her feet. As their eyes met briefly, they were surprised by their surroundings.

Breaking away from each other, they looked around themselves and saw that the fog had disappeared.

Before them now stood several statues that ranged from vaguely humanoid figures staring at them to horses surrounding said figures and creating an inescapable wall. Bamboo trees sprouted from the snow-covered ground as they let flickers of sunlight pass through their higher boughs. Behind them was the same TV that would lead them back to Junes; in front of them flat stones created a pathway that led to a staircase that ascended shortly towards a domed structure – made of intricate symbols and the same material as the statues. Which brought the trio back to where they now stood, the only spot that could be considered a clearing.

If one wanted to consider the small patch of ground as such.

There gaped at the ethereal forest, awestruck but also melancholic. None of them knew if the atmosphere caused this mixture of feelings, or something else.

“This place is... beautiful...” Morgana gasped.

“It is,” Shiho responded first. It only took a split second for her to realize who had spoken first. “Wait... Morgana...? Did you just talk?”

Her gaze turned towards the cat, who cocked his head curiously.

“Yeah. Ren told you this would happen, didn’t he?”

“He... he... may have mentioned something like that...” she admitted. “Still, it’s one thing to be told something, another to see it...”

“Well seeing is... something. Right, Leader?”

Ren sighed. “Yeah, but you always seem to forget what that saying means. I was planning to ease her into that. No matter what happens, you always catch people by surprise when they hear you talk for the first time.”

“Hey, hey, just because I’m a cat doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to talk!”

“Yes, it does,” Ren replied matter-of-factly, briefly twisting a lock of his hair.

“It’s okay, Ren. Thank you, but I’ve already met Arsène, so I should be fine,” Shiho assured her friends as she took a deep breath. She smiled and squatted down to Morgana’s level. “It’s nice to finally talk to you, Morgana.”

“Same here, Suzui!”

They smiled, then went back to examining their surroundings. “This place is amazing, but there’s something... sad, yet nostalgic about it. I know we didn’t see everything else last time and I’ve never been here before that, but it feels like I should know this place,” Shiho stated, unknowingly expressing everyone else’s feelings on the forest.

Her friends nodded and Ren spoke. “It feels like a Palace, too. There are distorted desires here.”

“Right? I thought something felt off. Do you think it has something to do with Narukami?” Morgana asked.

“It looks like it. I don’t know what, though.”

“Maybe we should go look at that building over there?”

Morgana directed his tail towards the domed structure, seemingly the only way to move forward. Wind rushed past them as their gazes fell on the building. The gust blew up some of the snow and ruffled the bamboo leaves, creating an eerie cacophony of rustling branches rubbing against each other.

It was a warning.

As Ren took a step towards the building, another gust of wind didn’t follow.

They would only receive one warning, it would seem.

Smirking, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves took it as a challenge and continued forward.

His friends followed his trail.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, they saw that one of the sections of the domed building wasn’t a wall, but a door of some sort. It cracked open only slightly, revealing pitch black behind it and no sign of light even centimeters into the building. As they traversed the stairs, they could’ve sworn that the darkness behind the heavy stone door served as a wall in its own way. It blocked, or possibly absorbed, any of the light that tried to penetrate the darkness’s inky exterior.

The crack, too small for Morgana to squeeze into and too dark for any of them to glimpse past, only fueled the mystery that had created a flickering flame of curiosity.

“I’m not going in there,” Morgana added uselessly. Even if he couldn’t fit between the slim crack, he still wanted his friends to know he wouldn’t traverse such an unknown. “It’s too dark and you definitely can’t see past it.”

“Relax, Morgana, you can’t even fit in there,” Ren assured. He rose his finger to his chin. “That being said...”

He didn’t finish his sentence, instead grasping the edge of the stone door. Sneaking his fingers between the thin entrance, Ren tried pulling at it. Even with his full strength, he couldn’t make it budge. Not wanting to waste any more of his energy or time, or that of his friends, he stopped and shook his head as Shiho and Morgana moved to help him.

“It won’t move in the slightest. Doubt even having Arsène help us would get it open.”

At the mention of the Gentleman Thief, a blue flame appeared behind them. They turned to it as it disappeared to see Arsène emerging, floating just above the ground. His arms crossed over his ruffled jabot, his knife-like fingers tapping against his arm.

“’Twould not move it in the slightest, I am afraid,” he began.

His presence caused Shiho and Morgana to jump slightly, but it only took them a second to catch themselves. After all, by now, after everything they had been through and told Shiho, they would be used to it.

“It’s good to see you again, Arsène,” Ren greeted.

Arsène nodded, his demonic grin never fading. “You as well, Trickster. Master Igor’s servant. And Miss Suzui, I am pleased to see you have accompanied my Trickster once more.”

Shiho bowed her head slightly. “Of course, I couldn’t leave him to do this alone. It’s nice to meet you again, Arsène.”

“Indeed. He is quite remiss without his friends, no?”

Everyone except Ren shared a small chuckle before he interrupted them. “Okay, okay. There has to be a reason you’re here again without me summoning you, Arsène. I mean – besides making fun of me with Shiho and Morgana.”

“Yes. I wanted to tell you that there is something quite sinister beyond this passageway. While I cannot say what it is exactly, the aura emanating from this building makes it feel as if it is not just a place of grief, but of remembrance.”

“Like... a grave?” Shiho supplied slowly, hoping she was wrong.

Arsène nodded solemnly. “As a grave. More precisely, a tomb, for one that wields such catastrophic power and... frustration.”

The thief turned his eyes towards Shiho. “And... something about it reminds me of you, Miss Suzui. Specifically, the unsureness and questioning that is flowing from deep inside.”


	13. Aeon, Rank 4.75

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I am thou, thou art I."_
> 
> _~ The Persona Series_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so... like I said last week... Unfortunately... please, don't hate me too much... I'm gonna be taking some time to write up the next half of this fic and other works, so the weekly schedule is, for the time being, on hold.
> 
> Luckily, this ain't a hiatus cause I'm still planning on working on the chapters for this fic. That being said, it will be a break from posting so I'm not rushing my writing as I have in the past.
> 
> THAT being said, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter and it's little cliff hanger - hope it messes with y'all to no end! And a challenge for y'all - based on this chapter, what do you think Shiho's starter Persona would be in this fic? I already have the answer, but I want to see what y'all clever peoples can come up with!
> 
> Happy holidays, y'all, and looking forward to the critiques, reviews, bookmarks, subs, and kudos. Cheers, y'all! Having fun with this fic, so I'll keep it going!
> 
> Peace,  
> nickdaman6

Arsène's words caught Morgana and Shiho off-guard. But Ren had suspected the same thing. If a part of himself, his Persona, could sense these similarities, then one look at Shiho and the tomb with his Third Eye would confirm Arsène’s assertion.

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me...” Morgana started, his eyebrows raising.

“What?” Shiho asked.

Arsène shook his head. “This is not Miss Suzui’s tomb or anything of the like, friends. Do not worry about that.”

All three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief. Even though Ren had assumed the connection between Shiho and the tomb existed, he didn’t know how far that connection went. Before Arsène had assured them that it wasn’t Shiho’s tomb, this connection had quickly sent Ren into an internal panic.

“No. This place, what Master Igor and his aides have referred to as the Hollow Forest, is connected to Miss Suzui not because they share the same fate, but because they share a connection. In this case, being unsure of who they are.”

A couple of things about Arsène’s explanation caught Ren’s attention. “So, the Velvet Room has more attendants than Igor and Lavenza?”

Arsène nodded. “Of course. Master Igor has many designs for the Fools of this world. Each design requires a different mind in the form of a different attendant. Until you see them again, I shall not speak more on the topic.”

A dead end. Ren should’ve assumed as much.

“That explains the third figure in your dream,” Morgana surmised, referring to Ren’s dream before school had started at Yasogami.

That it had.

But the second topic...

“You’re treating this tomb like it’s a person, Arsène,” Ren alluded.

“That I am. After all, tombs are meant to house the deceased; or, in this case, one who considers themselves deceased.”

“There’s someone in there,” Shiho stated plainly, understanding Arsène as easily as she understood Ren.

“Yes,” Arsène confirmed. “That someone is the key to understanding why you are here and why there is an imbalance in Inaba that only the Fool can correct.” The gentleman thief shifted his red gaze towards Ren. “You understand, yes? This is why I had asked you to talk to the Emperor and the Star. The fact that you have brought the Aeon and the Magician here is proof enough that you are starting to put the pieces of the puzzle together, Trickster. Am I not mistaken?”

Ren nodded his head.

Arsène’s grin appeared to grow wider, even though that didn't seem physically possible. He chuckled softly. “Excellent. Then you know what must be done. Begone from this forgotten realm of sorrow and despair, for now, Trickster, Aeon, Magician. You have plenty to discuss amongst yourselves and I am sure Miss Suzui now has more questions than before. Perhaps you can let her into your mind a bit more, Trickster. I know I shall see all of you soon.”

With that, blue flames emerged around Arsène, hiding him from the view of the three thieves. His chuckling continued and only disappeared when the flames had. In the flames’ place stood nothing – no sign of Arsène or of him ever appearing before the group.

“Got some answers, now we have more questions. Typical,” Morgana mourned, sitting on his hind legs and liking one of his front paws. He took a break to ask, “What now, Joker?” before returning to cleaning himself.

Ren perked up slightly at being called by his codename in the TV World. “Well, not much else we can do now. We’re at a literal dead end here while this door is closed. And we’re at a metaphorical dead end back in Inaba without hearing the rest of the story from Narukami-senpai.” He caught Morgana’s gaze. “Say we give Shiho her codename and make our way out of here? We should still be able to catch Teddie-sensei and Yosuke on our way out.”

Morgana perked up, too. “Oh, yeah! We haven’t given Suzui a codename yet.”

“Please, Shiho is fine, Morgana,” Shiho assured before asking: “What’s a codename?”

“Each Phantom Thief has a codename. Ren is Joker, I’m Mona, and Ann is Panther! We try not to say our real names in the Metaverse.”

Shiho thought on this for a moment. “Just in case someone’s subconscious hears one of your names?” she ventured slowly.

“Exactly.”

She smiled. “That sounds fun. But why is Ren ‘Joker’ and Ann ‘Panther’?”

“I’m the ace up our sleeves,” Ren supplied “and Ann’s Phantom Thief outfit was red... well, latex with a cat-ear mask. So, Panther.”

At learning about Ann’s costume and the reason for her codename, Shiho laughed. “Seriously? That’s not surprising considering her personality, though.”

Ren chuckled. “Yeah, and it only made Morgana fall more in love with her.”

“You’re in love with her Morgana?”

“W-well, I mean... she is beautiful, and, um... just amazing, so...” the cat stuttered to defend himself.

“Anyway,” Ren interjected, “it’s odd that I’m not in my outfit and Morgana isn’t his Metaverse-self.”

“I’ve been wondering that, too,” Morgana followed up, trying to quickly leave behind any conversation about his infatuation with Ann. “Maybe we need to get inside the tomb first?”

“Maybe... but that doesn’t matter right now. I think Shiho should get her codename. Once we enter the tomb, that’s what we’ll be calling ourselves by.”

“Right! Hm...”

Morgana and Ren stared intently at Shiho, trying to come up with an idea for her codename. A little surprised by their eyes training on her, a small blush rose on her face and she took a slight step back away from them. She wasn’t uncomfortable, per se, but she could do without having them watch her so closely. Even if it was for her benefit.

“Well, we could do something like ‘Raven,’ because of her hair?” Morgana supplied.

“Too close to Crow. Besides, we’ve had a lot of animal codenames,” Ren replied with a brief pang of pain that swiftly faded away.

“Right, right. Jacqueline? She’s a jack of all trades with sports?”

“If... if I have any say in the matter, I don’t like that one. It’s too long,” Shiho interrupted.

“You have a say. We’ll take that into consideration. Wait a minute...” Ren caught himself, remembering their current lessons in history. “Shiho, you told me once that your favorite fruit is an apple, right?”

Surprised by Ren’s line of reasoning, Shiho hesitantly answered, “Yes.”

“And how we’re learning about the Trojan War? It was all started because of a..."

“...a golden apple,” Shiho finished, understanding Ren’s reasoning. Then she thought against the idea. “You want my codename to be ‘Apple?’ Or... ‘Gold?’”

“No, no,” Ren shook his head. “Remember, Queen Tut rambled on about the war, even calling the apple by its Greek name. Milo.”

“Milo... I actually kind of like that.” Shiho nodded her head after a few moments. Then, thinking about what her new codename symbolized, her gaze steeled over and her mouth quirked into a smirk. “The reason the Greeks went to war with Troy. I like it.”

Ren’s smirk mirrored hers. He held out his hand expectantly. “Welcome to the Phantom Thieves, Milo.”

She shook his hand. “I’m glad to join you. So, does that make you my senpais?”

“Indeed, but I’ll be the one showing you the ropes – after all, I am the most experienced with the Metaverse,” Morgana bragged unabashedly. “Morgana-senpai will do just fine. Oh! Until we get into the tomb, then it’s Mona-senpai. Think you can handle it, Milo?”

Keeping a straight face, Shiho nodded her head eagerly. “Of course, Morgana-senpai!”

Ren shook his head in exasperation. Yet he couldn’t say he was surprised that Morgana would try to act (ironically) as the top dog. Every time someone new joined the Phantom Thieves last year, he’d act the same way. The frizzy-haired teen would have to give Shiho tips from time to time.

Thinking more on the matter, Ren chimed in, “And please don’t call me senpai. ‘Ren’ is still just fine.”

“Are you sure, Ren-senpai?” Shiho teased coyly.

A moment passed before she realized how it sounded and covered her reddening face with her hands.

“And that’s why I said that,” the leader of the Phantom Thieves joked. “I’ll let that one pass, but only because it seemed to mess with you more than me.”

Shiho meekly nodded in response.

“Alright,” Morgana began, trying to ease any embarrassment remaining between the pair. “Our infiltration starts now! We’ll leave for the day and collect some more information from the Seekers of Truth and Narukami. Once we do that, then maybe we’ll have an idea moving forward. We have a plan, now let’s do it!”

“Right,” both teenagers agreed.

Satisfied with today’s exploration, they returned to the TV and left the Hollow Forest behind. As the ripples in the TV faded away, indicating they had completely left the TV World, the stone door guarding the tomb shifted ever so slightly.

Then, the forest returned to its silence.

* * *

After the trio of Phantom Thieves had left the TV World, Ren immediately received a text from Yosuke.

_Yosuke: Hey, Ren-Ren. Sorry, but we’re gonna hafta talk later. Dad’s mad at us for the fake sale thing._

Ren couldn’t help but smile, knowing that some form of punishment would come Yosuke’s and Mr. Teddie’s way. He told the DJ that they understood and would meet up some other day. Hopefully, by then, Mr. Teddie would have some news for them, too.

Ren told Morgana and Shiho about the holdup. They shared a short laugh and decided to end the day there. On the way home along the Samegawa, the leader of the Phantom Thieves and their newest member discussed some of their ideas about the Seekers of Truth and what had happened. Morgana chimed in with theories as well, even providing Ren ideas about how to enter the Velvet Room and talking to Igor.

That having been said, the holder of the Fool’s arcana didn’t want to think about that just yet. He knew that he needed the right questions to ask the three Velvet Room inhabitants before making his way to the Place Existing between Dreams and Reality, Mind and Matter. Having knowledge and research beforehand would make it that much easier to learn what Igor and his servants knew.

To do that, they would need to confront Yu and learn about what had happened to him all those years ago.

Until then, Ren figured they should try to stay away from the members of the Seekers of Truth that they hadn’t talked to just yet. They’d have just as many questions for him and he couldn’t answer them at the moment.

Knowing Mr. Teddie, they’d learn about Ren and his friends soon enough. However, he trusted Kanji and Yosuke to keep them from talking to Ren until he had his own answers.

The trio finished their discussion as they arrived at the stairs that led to Shiho’s street. She bid them farewell and good night with a small smile before leaving them.

Morgana and Ren continued onward to their own home.

As the yellow light of the sun reflected off the Samegawa River, they both enjoyed the picturesque scenery. While they appeared at peace on the outside, their minds continued to ruminate on what they had learned today. Even the calming lapse of the water against the concrete bank couldn’t help them out of their minds. Talking wouldn’t help either – it would just lead to more questions and few answers.

They would have to come up with their questions for now and rely on Mr. Teddie to secure them a way to see the former leader of the Seekers of Truth. A mutual sigh permeated the quiet air as they arrived at the stairs that led home. Each step Ren took up the stairs told him how tired venturing into the TV World and investigating the truth behind the Mysterious Senpai had made him.

He didn’t even need to look at Morgana to know he felt the same.

Releasing a held-in breath, they opened the door to the Amamiya household with overworked brains and tired muscles.

“I’m home...” the frizzy-haired teen moaned pathetically as he removed his shoes.

“Welcome home, Ren-Ren!” Akari called back.

“Welcome home, Ren!” another voice joined his sister’s.

He recognized it immediately. Upon making his way to the living room he saw a familiar head of long, brunette hair with an accentuating pink bow. She smiled brilliantly at seeing Ren, reminding him of the many times he saw her and his sister spending time with each other.

“Hey, Nana-chan. It’s been a while,” Ren greeted, preparing himself for the hug that he thought was coming.

Instead, she stood up and pouted. “It has, and you haven’t come with Kari to see me since you came back. I also heard you went and saw Kanji-kun without me. More than once.”

Her maturity always astounded him. She could stand up to anyone. That part of her personality likely came from her father. Ren knew that he couldn’t escape the ‘I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed’ lecture she was so good at delivering. Offhandedly, Ren thought Dojima Nanako would be a good mother someday or a great older sister in another life.

Ren couldn’t think about that for long.

Nanako walked up to Ren and stopped in front of him. She put her hands on her hips, staring him down sadly.

“Ren, you know I’ve missed you just as much as Kari has.” There it was. Ren could feel the guilt easily replacing his fatigue. “I wish you would’ve invited me to hang out with you guys sometimes.”

All Ren could do was fiddle with a lock of his hair as he thought about his excuse. He could hear Morgana snickering from his bag, waiting to see how the situation played out before revealing himself.

“Well, I... it’s just that... um...” Ren tried to grasp for an excuse, but none came to mind. So, he deflated and simply apologized. “I’m sorry, Nana-chan. I don’t have an excuse.”

As soon as Ren had apologized, Nanako grinned. “I know. I just wanted an apology. But you better stop by sooner the next time you leave and come back home.”

With that, she gave Ren a friendly hug, one he returned after a moment of confusion.

“Aw, come on, Nana-chan! You should’ve grilled him a little bit longer. You had him wrapped around your finger!” Akari jeered from the living room. “We could’ve gotten dinner out of him!”

The two teenagers pulled apart from each other after hearing Akari. Nanako giggled. “Well, he looked so tired that I didn’t want to push him too hard.”

Despite the situation, Ren found himself smiling. “Well, I’m hungry anyway. Luckily for us, I have some curry and rice in the fridge from the other night. Would you like to stay for dinner, Nana-chan?”

“Would I!” she giggled excitedly.

“Yay! Food!” Akari cheered as Nanako rejoined her in the living room. “Gotta finish our homework in the meantime, I guess...”

The two teenaged girls returned to their studious duties after a few more moments of shared laughter. Ren thought that dinner wouldn’t take too long to heat up. So, he decided to keep the festive mood going.

“Nana-chan, has Kari told you about our new addition to the family?” Ren started off and reached into his schoolbag, gently securing Morgana.

“New addition? Oh! You mean the kitty?” Nanako replied brightly.

“Yup. Here. He’s been in my bag all day and could use some attention from you and Kari.”

He set Morgana on the couch behind the two girls and watched as they quickly joined Morgana.

“You kept him cooped up all day? Come on, Ren-Ren, I thought you let him roam around the school,” Akari mentioned, devilishly smirking. “Or did you lie to me?”

“No comment.”

Ren dodged away into the kitchen, saved by Nanako diverting her attention towards Morgana.

“Oh, he has such pretty black fur! Hi, Morgana. It’s nice to meet you!”

Nanako waved at the black cat and let him sniff her fingers. Eventually, deciding she was trustworthy, Morgana started purring and moved into her hand, allowing her to pet him. It was surprising to see Morgana trust someone so quickly, but then again, Nanako had always had a way with animals.

She giggled in response. “You’re really soft, too.”

Akari and Ren chuckled. The latter sibling called, “Still take your coffee black, Nana-chan?”

“Yup! Heard from Kari that you make really good coffee now, too.”

“Guess you’ll have to be the judge of that, huh?”

With that said, Ren went to work preparing the food and coffee for Akari, Nanako, Morgana, and himself. It felt like everything had returned back to normal for a night, Ren would later realize. They would have to have guests over more often, especially all of his friends and Nanako.


End file.
